The Obama Presidential Center is finally here. Prepare to pay up.

CHICAGO—Barack Obama’s new presidential center isn’t a cheap date, and neither is his adopted hometown. When it opens June 19, it will set at least three modern-era records for a former White House occupant: time taken to be completed, project cost and the price to get inside. At $30, adult admission to see the 44th president’s story is more than at any other U.S. presidential library, a Wall Street Journal review shows. That is 59% higher than the average for presidents from John F. Kennedy through George W. Bush...... Still, the GOP should tread cautiously. One of their own isn’t...