'There stood a tower of marvellous shape. It was fashioned by the builders of old, who smoothed the Ring of Isengard, and yet it seemed a thing not made by the craft of men, but riven from the bones of the earth in the ancient torment of the hills.'
Tolkien's description of Orthanc, from the road to Isengard, comes to mind at the first sight of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. You can almost picture Saruman standing atop the tower, sending his legions of Uruk-hai to war against Rohan at the fortress of Helm's Deep.
Perhaps you prefer science fiction, and you picture Darth Sidious laughing as he informs a shocked Luke Skywalker that this Death Star is a fully operational battle station.
Be it Middle Earth or a galaxy far, far away, the dystopian-looking chunk of rock that bears the former president's name seems to remind everyone who sees it of something, and none of it is very good.
Except for Barry, he really seems to like the place. He recently took to social media to brag a little about the progress being made, posting a video of himself, complete with a hard hat and safety glasses, overseeing the construction. Politicians do love to cosplay, don't they?
Watch:
When the Obama Presidential Center opens next year, it will be a hub for change — a place for people from all over the world to come together, get inspired, and take what they learn back to their own communities. https://t.co/gW6UCYBCAJ pic.twitter.com/U92thHbAUL
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 18, 2025
We found it interesting that he dropped the 'Hope' when he called the center, which will be the place that holds the record of his presidential legacy, a 'Hub for change.' Could it be that even he has lost hope that history will remember him well?
It would explain why he's building a presidential library that's shaped like a garbage can.
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Was this 👇 your prototype? pic.twitter.com/EveAVmekke
— GinnyM 🇺🇸🙏✝️ TRUMP WON - KARI LAKE WON (@PatriotXV11) October 18, 2025
— James Mixter (@MixterJames) October 18, 2025
The trash can comparisons are fitting given that most of Obama's policies, from the Iran Nuclear Deal to Obamacare, were truly garbage.
looks great, perfect depiction of your presidency pic.twitter.com/G8OHSK6B8l
— CornPop (@RealC0rnP0p) October 18, 2025
Some others, like Twitchy favorite James Woods, see the design of the eyesore structure as a perfect depiction of Obama's legacy.
First of all they’re calling it a “center,” not a library, understandable given the woeful illiteracy rate of his more passionate followers. https://t.co/Obs0ZY0sUA
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 18, 2025
Neo Fascist architecture. https://t.co/Obs0ZY0sUA
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 18, 2025
Here I fixed it, knew It looked like an old Eastern block Cold War socialist building! pic.twitter.com/rOTr8C1mkp
— KAG3-CO (@Kag3C) October 18, 2025
Those really hit the socialist nail right on the head, but we preferred the more fanciful and imaginative depictions. Here are a few of our favorites.
The aforementioned Tolkien references.
You mean like this? pic.twitter.com/Y3htbacWId
— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) October 18, 2025
Behold, Barack-Dur! pic.twitter.com/eg5XGmjArV
— Stink Eye (@thestinkeye) October 18, 2025
More appropriately: Destroying a republic from within. pic.twitter.com/1TVzN0IaSR
— ⚡️PepperJack⚡️ (@mmullins001) October 18, 2025
We used the Isengard reference, and these folks went straight to Mordor, but we have to admit, the all-seeing eye on top of the building would make it more interesting, if not less ugly.
We didn't forget about the Galactic Empire.
— Mirthful Moments (@moment_mirthful) October 18, 2025
Unless the Rebel Alliance stops you! pic.twitter.com/Cjail2YoSt
— Izengabe (@Izengabe_) October 18, 2025
— Matt’s Idea Shop (@MattsIdeaShop) October 18, 2025
Lol pic.twitter.com/b3sqKqmuvU
— Jake13th 🏴☠️ (@JakeThirteenth) October 18, 2025
We wonder if Darth Vader ever tried deep dish?
The literary and pop culture references didn't end there. One creative X user marked the unattractive edifice as the very entrance to hell on Earth.
Abandon hope all ye who enter here.
Final form pic.twitter.com/tU7ufBSPZQ
— 𝕮𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖈𝖔 𝕵𝖆𝖈k 🇺🇸 (@CalicoTheJack) October 18, 2025
Who knows, maybe they'll hire Virgil as a tour guide?
— Swato (@SwatoMato) October 18, 2025
Where's Sigourney Weaver when you need her?
For the folks who were too young to remember Barry trying to hand over our sovereignty to the UN or redistribute our economy into oblivion, there are a few posts for you as well.
It looks like Squidward’s house. pic.twitter.com/ekW3JjFssJ
— Cielo 🇺🇸🇵🇷 (@CieloBonit) October 18, 2025
The whole project might have been better off if it were built in a pineapple under the sea.
Or, Perry the Platypus fighting his way through the labyrinth of the Obama center to battle the evil Dr. Doofenschmirtz and save the world.
it’s hideous
— Ben Petersen (@bennpetersen) October 18, 2025
an aesthetic blight on the neighborhood pic.twitter.com/CGkd2uRTIg
Super villain lair pic.twitter.com/xUdjVzgBJg
— MostlyHarmless (@harmless_human) October 18, 2025
Then, of course, there are the residents of Chicago's South Side who are going to be forced to look at that polished terd for the rest of their lives.
Here's what a few of them think:
Chicago residents think it’s hideous, bropic.twitter.com/VwyBhuLc3J
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 18, 2025
No matter what you may think of Obama or his presidency, there's no denying that the building is hideous. a skyscraper-sized outhouse in the middle of a perfectly nice park.
Appropriate.
— AnnieJ (@annie_j04) October 18, 2025
You were a 💩 President for America. pic.twitter.com/zKRiTTiHgt
The Obama Presidential Center is set to open next year, and it will stand as one last ugly stain on Barry's presidential legacy.
On the bright side, if President Trump gets his way and cracks down on crime in Chicago, traveling there will be far less treacherous than the road to Isengard.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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