Plumbing Contractor Cites $3.9M in Losses Tied to Obama Presidential Center Project
Ongoing issues with payment for construction of the center in Chicago reach a new high just a month after its grand opening.
Three more contractors have filed mechanics’ liens against the Obama Presidential Center property. While these specific complaints come from construction of the Home Court, the center’s 60,000 square-foot basketball and event facility, previous complaints from other contractors allege being owed millions of dollars for the construction of the main building.
Among those initial complaints include claims from Adamson Plumbing, based in Elgin, Illinois. The company says it suffered roughly $3.9 million in losses related to the project and has filed a mechanic's lien for approximately $1.72 million.
Adamson Plumbing laid off “close to 30” union-workers, filed for bankruptcy, and has suspended operations for the time being. Owner Michael “Mike” Owens stated that they were simply unable to sustain the loss, but hopes that they will be able to resume operations in the future.
Owens states that the original bid for the job was for $6.9 million of work. He told Crain’s and Fox News that delays, change orders, and other issues increased the cost of the job. In one instance, there was a dispute over the type of clamp used on a project, which led to his firm having to completely redo work at the cost of $800,000.
The project was initially expected to cost roughly $300 million to $350 million to build. By the time it opened, total project costs had grown to roughly $850 million, frequently described as approaching $1 billion.
The Obama Presidential Center opened on June 19th, 2026. According to Crain’s Chicago Business, there were about 475 subcontractors involved in the project. The 19.3-acre campus includes a museum, the previously mentioned athletic and event center, and a branch of the Chicago Public Library.
The Obama Foundation, the private non-profit that oversaw the construction of the center, enlisted Lakeside Alliance as the project manager, with Elevate Design Builders, a joint venture led by BOWA Construction, serving as construction manager for “Home Court,” the athletics and event center.
“Lakeside oversaw the bidding process, including reviewing bids for an understanding of the scope of work and related costs,” According to a statement from The Obama Foundation to FactCheck.org. They claim they have “no outstanding disputed charges with Lakeside” and “no direct legal agreements or contracts with Lakeside’s subcontractors.”
A spokesperson from Lakeside has stated that, with projects of this scale, contractual closeout often occurs long after the doors have opened. “[Lakeside remains] committed to working through outstanding matters to successfully close out the project.”
The latest filings add to a growing list of legal claims that continue to surface more than a month after the Obama Presidential Center officially opened. While project stakeholders maintain that closeout on a development of this scale can take months, and in some cases years, the mounting number of mechanics' liens underscores the financial strain unresolved payment disputes can place on specialty contractors and subcontractors.
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