Paul Goldberger, advisor for the Obama Presidential Center, says Obamas prefer "modern and refined" over a "traditional" building

2016-02-10T13:38:00-05:00

MCP: How would you characterize the President and First Lady’s architectural taste, as best as you can tell up to this point? PG: Modern and refined. They like modern things quite genuinely. They do not want a traditional building... there’s a certain kind of, let’s say tailored modernism, that they respond best to. But they’re interested in a range of things, and they’re also very interested, as they should be, in somebody who they will feel comfortable talking to.

Paul Goldberger was first offered to advise the Obama Foundation in the selection of the Presidential Center's architect by Penny Pritzker, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, who also happens to be the niece of Jay Pritzker – founder of the Pritzker Prize in 1979.

Get caught up on the selection process for the architect of Obama's Presidential Library:

Meryl Streep's husband among those helping select architect for the Obama Center
David Adjaye is the best bet for the Obama Presidential Library – but not because of the color of his skin
These are the seven finalists in the Obama Presidential Center competition
Obama Presidential Center competition attracts 140 firms, early 2016 selection date of architect expected to be delayed
First big-name architects confirmed for Obama Presidential Center

Archinect - News

Paul Goldberger, advisor for the Obama Presidential Center, says Obamas prefer "modern and refined" over a "traditional" building