Obama Foundation opens office on Chicago's South Side

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Barack Obama Foundation, which is leading the effort to build the Obama Presidential Library, has opened an office in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood.

The office will serve as the headquarters for Michael A. Strautmanis, a longtime aide to President Obama who is the foundation's head of community outreach. The office currently has a staff of seven.

Strautmanis said Friday the effort to build the library is at the beginning, with "several steps to come and years of work in front of us."

The foundation says seven architectural firms are finalists to design the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago's South Side.

The center will be located in one of two parks and will be home to Obama's archives and a museum about his presidency. It is expected to be completed by 2021.