More than $200 million has now been raised for Teddy Roosevelt’s Presidential Library, which the New York Times has dubbed “among the most sustainable cultural institutions in the world.”
The library—the first built out of mass timber—features a steel-and-timber hybrid structure anchored to a giant rock in the North Dakota Badlands. Mercer Mass Timber, one of North America’s largest timber manufacturers, will provide more than 1800 cubic metres of cross-laminated timber and glulam ahead of an expected grand opening on July 4th, 2026, in time for America’s 250th birthday.
Wood Central understands that work on the library started last year – with representatives from Congress and donors signing off on the final beam in August, the halfway point of construction. “We are on track, we’ve had, knock on wood, great weather, and that’s enabled us to, with that mild winter, to be ahead of schedule on a lot of things,” said Matt Briney, chief communications officer for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.
Split into two different stages, crews are now busy finishing off the library’s enormous frame and roof before the second stage, expected to start early next year, will see cross-laminated timber and glulam added to exterior features, including the footbridges and canopies.
Designed by Snøhetta, the library uses locally sourced mass timber and sophisticated energy systems, setting a new standard for sustainable design. Its design also mitigates the impact of wind and other climatic factors, making the library accessible throughout the year. It is also informed by Roosevelt’s “personal reflections on the landscape, his commitment to environmental stewardship, and the periods of quiet introspection and civic engagement that marked his life.”
Why was North Dakota important to Teddy Roosevelt?
Known as the Conservation President, the Republican Teddy established 150 national forests, 51 bird reserves, four national game preserves and 18 national monuments as part of the 1906 American Antiquities Act. According to the US National Park Service, Roosevelt protected more than 230 million acres (or 93 million hectares) of public land, with more than 150 million acres (or 60 million hectares) of the land preserved as forest.
“I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota,” President Roosevelt once wrote after he had lived in the area for three years. “It was here that the romance of my life began”.
This is why North Dakota is the perfect location for the library, according to Robbie Lauf, Director of Programming and Partnerships for the Presidential Library: “Roosevelt—if he were alive today—would want to build it in a place that respects the land, that celebrates some of his biggest accomplishments, like the expansion of the national parks system, like the growth in the American West.”
- To learn more about the Presidential Library, click here for Wood Central’s special feature, including an interview with Nick Milestone, the Vice President of Building and Construction for Mercer Mass Timber.
