The countdown to the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Library in Jackson Park, though much of the site is still behind a steel fence.

CBS News Chicago was given a private tour of the premises and sat down with the CEO of the Obama Foundation, who said they can't wait to open next June.

Only months away from welcoming the public, former President Barack Obama shared some highlights about the institution that will commemorate his presidency.

"There's the museum portion of the presidential center, where you can see Michelle's dresses," Obama said. "We also have an audio and recording studio so we can bring kids in to give exposure and training to tell their stories."

The sprawling 20-acre campus in Jackson Park, just blocks from the lake, includes buildings, gardens, playgrounds, and a 225-foot museum tower.

Kim Patterson gave the tour of the new center. She grew up in the nearby South Shore community.

She helped answer the question that everybody kept asking ... where are the windows?

"There are not a lot of windows on the building, but that's intentional because sunlight is just not a friend to the artwork and the artifacts that are going inside of the building," Patterson said.

But what's the deal with the building's shape? That was also intentional.

"The shape of the building was actually meant to mimic four hands coming together to show the importance of our collective action," she said.

While renowned architects designed the buildings, the community's input was equally important. Team members from the Obama Center visited all 77 Chicago neighborhoods, providing updates, answering questions, and responding to concerns.

"We were originally proposing that our parking garage go in this space," Patterson said.

However, community members objected.

"If the parking garage was here, it could possibly block sunlight coming to their area, their gardens," she said.

So, instead of a concrete garage, there's a colorful playground. The 400 plus car parking garage is now underground.

"When the person who is running the organization is a former community organizer, you can imagine that from day one, he wanted to ensure the community was a part of this process," said Valerie Jarrett.

Jarrett is a former senior advisor to President Barack Obama, now the CEO of the Obama Foundation, and a south sider.

"I grew up not far from here, rode my bike through Jackson Park as a child, and saw the disinvestment in these communities compared to what was happening on the North Side. So it's personally satisfying that the Obamas selected my home as the place to put this incredible investment," she said.

Jarrett notes that Obama is intimately involved in this investment.

"I wish that people could be a fly on the wall to see how many times in the course of the day that I hear from President Obama about ideas for the center, tweaks, programming, what we can do for the design," she said.

That includes the cafeteria that will be operated by the newly formed partnership between Chicago Chef Cliff Rome and the California-based Bon Appétit Management Company.

"I sent him the menu for the restaurants. He cares about what food we're offering. Is it affordable? Is it tasty? Will children want it?" Jarrett said. 

She said contracting with racially diverse businesses is a priority.

"Because we believe inclusion is actually a strength," She said.

The center tapped John Rogers, founder and co-CEO of Ariel Investments, to oversee its mission to include diverse vendors.

"We will better represent the community in which we're located and be a national model for how you can be inclusive and have a world-class product and a world-class operation," Jarrett said.

The world-class operation is also unique because of its presidential library.

"President Obama is the first president to digitize all of his papers from the White House," she said.

It's only fitting, Jarrett said, because of Obama's reputation as the first president to fully embrace technology. The digitized records will include Obama's tweets, emails, videos, and photos

"This is a real advantage for those who are interested in doing research, whether you're a school student, or whether you're a PhD or a world expert," she said.

The world-renowned institution is expected to attract nearly 800,000 visitors a year.

"I hope they not only learn about President Obama and the people upon whose shoulders he stands, but also a little bit something about themselves and how they can go and bring change home to their own communities, and everyone can do something to be a force for good," Jarrett said.