The Barack Obama presidential library is coming to Chicago’s South Side, but the exact location has not yet been announced. In our latest photo gallery, we captured a slice of life in Washington Park, a neighborhood that could undergo major changes if the library is nearby.

A woman walks past the Garfield Boulevard “L” station and overpass, which was designed by architect Myron Church in 1892. This is one of the oldest surviving mass transit stations in the United States and is the last surviving example of the city’s original “bow-fronted, Arts and Crafts-styled” street-level station houses, according to the City of Chicago. The station was designated a Chicago landmark in 2001.

Dwight Gaines, a resident of the Washington Park neighborhood, grabs his fishing line, which got stuck in a pond. “Fishing is actually a great way to meet people. A lot of people come up to me and just start a conversation. I am hoping to catch a catfish. All you need after that is some bread and water and you have got a meal!”

Lee B. Hogan stands at the front desk of Ms. Lee’s Good Food, the carry-out restaurant that she has operated for the past 16 years.

Noah Supermarket at 56th St. and Michigan Ave. has been owned by Khalil Inshasi since 2008. “Things have calmed down a bit around here. A lot of the stores on Garfield that people used to hang outside of have been bought by the University of Chicago and there is less crime. The first month I owned the market in 2008, four different people tried to rob my store. Now there is much less of that, things have started to change, and I think the Obama Library is good for the community,” Inshasi said.
![FridayFeature_WashPark-3 Garland Gantt has sold food and merchandise next to the Garfield green line stop on Garfield Boulevard for over 15 years. "Ever since the grocery store across the street was bought by the University of Chicago, there isn't really any place to get basic groceries and this [truck] helps," William Scott said. Scott stopped by Gantt's truck during a lunch break to say hello.](https://i0.wp.com/www.chicagoreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/FridayFeature_WashPark-3.jpg?w=512&h=345&ssl=1)
Garland Gantt has sold food and merchandise next to the Garfield green line stop on Garfield Boulevard for over 15 years. “Ever since the grocery store across the street was bought by the University of Chicago, there isn’t really any place to get basic groceries and this [truck] helps,” William Scott said. Scott stopped by Gantt’s truck during a lunch break to say hello.

Salim Mithaiwala, originally from Pakistan, has owned the Ace Hardware Store on Garfield Boulevard for 30 years. “I have seen this area change a lot in the past 30 years. Housing developments were knocked down and left vacant lots that have been here for years, but now I think those vacant lots are going to be developed again and that will bring me and everyone else in this area business. With the library, Chicago will become a tourist destination and that will be good for everyone,” Mithaiwala said.