Activism, art, and historical legacy meet at the Women’s Garden. The Garden sits on the site of the Women’s Building, a temporary structure built for the 1893 World’s Fair. Architect Sophia B. Hayden designed the Italian Renaissance-style building to showcase the achievements of women in the arts. In the 1930s, architect May McAdams designed a garden on the site of the Women’s Building to commemorate the Women’s Suffrage Movement which culminated in the 19th Amendment. However, both historical iterations faced significant criticism: the original building for tokenizing women and incorporating racist depictions of people of color, and the later Garden for excluding women of color, highlighting broader shortcomings within the Suffrage Movement. 

The Obama Presidential Center presented a unique opportunity to address this complex legacy while honoring the Garden's significance to the South Side. It now features accessible paths and walkways that allow visitors of different abilities to use at their convenience. The Garden also features Torch Song, a bronze sculpture by Alison Saar that honors influential Black women like Nina Simone and Marian Anderson, who channeled their outrage against racial injustice into powerful music that fueled resistance and progress.