Obama's Kenwood home in dollhouse proportions
When the Chicago Botanic Garden's miniature "Wonderland Express" train starts chugging again later this month, it'll pass two new historic sites.
In a nod to the first family, the Glencoe garden has added miniature versions of Barack and Michelle Obama's Kenwood home and Mrs. Obama's childhood home in the South Shore neighborhood, a classic Chicago brick bungalow.
(AP)
They'll join 80 other miniature Chicago landmarks in the train set, a popular draw for kids.
The roughly 2-foot-tall Obama Kenwood home is layered with white pine bark and catalpa beans to replicate the mansion's brick facade. There are also tiny flower pots made from burr oak caps and a front porch made from Chinese honeysuckle, eucalyptus leaves, okra seeds and magnolia and lotus pod stems. The South Shore bungalow is made of pine tree bark and has redbud seed pods as dormers.
The homes -- and the other tiny landmarks -- go on display Nov. 27 in the Regenstein Center at the Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd., Glencoe.
A bonus: no tiny Secret Service checkpoints.