The 56,000 sq.ft. monstrosity in Chicago’s Highland Park stopped being Michael Jordan’s problem a year ago. But it is still a problem. One that the city is grappling with. Unfortunately, even after the mansion’s sale after a decade on the market, Chicago has no answers for it.

John Cooper, the real estate developer, closed the discounted sale on December 11th, 2024. The property was first offered for sale by Jordan in 2012 for $29 million. Nonetheless, its complicated history presented challenges in selling it. That legacy is still posing a problem.

Cooper wants the City Council at Highland Park and Mayor Nancy Rotering to convert this mansion into a tourist attraction. Think Elvis Presley’s iconic Memphis home, Graceland, that’s a museum and a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Unlike with how Priscilla Presley was praised for this move, locals don’t want it for the mansion with the #23 gates.

John Cooper made a formal proposal to the city for ‘Champions Point.’ He said, “Champions Point has the potential to become a world-class museum uniting people of all ages and backgrounds under a common purpose. To explore what it means to be great in life.”

This move would require a zoning change, among other procedures. The mansion already poses a problem for Michael Jordan’s former neighbors. This would complicate their situation further.

Michael Jordan’s home continues to bother locals

Among the many reasons that Michael Jordan struggled to find a buyer for the home he built in $1995 was because of the location. It’s no gated celebrity community like Beverly Hills. Highland Park was as suburban as it could get, close to railroad tracks and surrounded by the average suburban residents. Jordan also combined three units to build the sprawling property at 2700 Point Lane.

For decades, the residents of Highland Park had to deal with tourists and vandals wanting a piece of His Airness’ legacy. When MJ couldn’t sell it, fans looking in from the outside wanted Chicago to turn this into a museum, but locals were against it.

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Then Cooper bought it in a landmark sale. After hosting a few parties, charity events, and attempting an Airbnb-like concept, he approached the City Council to make this an official monument to the Jumpman. He touted the legacy of the Chicago Bulls on the city’s youth.

His proposal includes a nonprofit arm to this museum concept that will boost the local economy. He even said the Highland Park community will get 5% of the ticket sales. At his most ambitious, Cooper claims Champions Point can attract 300 visitors per day.

Jordan himself is unbothered by this and focused on the NASCAR lawsuit. But Mayor Rotering voiced the citizens’ primary concern. “When your neighbors bought their homes, this was a residential area and continues to be zoned residentially,” Rotering said. Classifying it as a tourist attraction will pose significant problems to the neighbors of this mansion.

Highland Park residents present in the meeting stood up to protest this idea immediately. Others complained about the nuisance caused by the regular parties Cooper has hosted on this property. “Loud music, heavy traffic, buses, and hundreds of strangers entering a quiet residential enclave,” a neighbor listed the problems.

He had a few supporters, including a person who brought a group of young kids to play basketball on Jordan’s famous regulation-size indoor court. “This project not only celebrates the legacy of a Chicago icon but also brings economic growth and opportunity,” she said.

The city shut down Cooper’s previous idea to turn this home into a luxury timeshare. They’re skeptical about this proposal, too but are open to a discussion. Despite the protests, John Cooper’s proposal is still on the table. And given popular support, it might be the future Michael Jordan museum.