Work has begun on Theodore Roosevelt’s Presidential Library, the first to use a mass timber and steel hybrid frame. It comes as US-based Mercer Mass Timber – a subsidiary of Mercer International, announced that it is providing up to 1,800 cubic metres of cross-laminated timber and glulam to a project that honours the 26th president’s legacy for conservation.
“We’re honoured to be part of this groundbreaking project, recognised as one of the most significant cultural institutions globally,” according to Brian Merwin, Senior Vice President of MMT, Mercer’s Mass Timber division, who spoke about the project in April, adding that “the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library exemplifies MMT’s commitment to pushing the boundaries in sustainable construction.”
Mr Merwin said that the first stage will include the library’s frame and roof, while the second stage, expected to start next year, will incorporate cross-laminated timber and glulam in exterior features, including footbridges and canopies sheltering photovoltaic rays.
“This represents a transition we’re seeing in modern building and architectural design, where community spaces are being designed with long-term sustainability in mind,” Nick Milestone, MMT’s Vice President of Projects and Construction, said, “with mass timber the perfect fit…to bring this important landmark to life, on schedule, on budget, and meeting its sustainability goals.”
The choice of a timber-rich building is fitting—it really couldn’t be anything else. President Roosevelt, affectionately known as Teddy, is universally known as ‘The Conservation President.’
Presiding from 1901 until 1909, after the assassination of William McKinley, Roosevelt used his authority to establish the United States Forest Service in 1905.
As President, he 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.
In September 2020, Snøhetta secured the library commission over Studio Gang and Henning Larsen. Sohetta’s design is 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.”
The Library’s construction uses locally sourced mass timber, with its sophisticated energy systems setting a new standard for sustainable design in the region. The design also mitigates the impact of wind and other climatic factors, making the Library accessible throughout the year.
Drawing a continuum between past and present, the “design captures the legacy of Teddy while also committing to the longevity and health of the region.”
The Library’s construction commenced in mid-June (last year) following the removal of the topsoil for the project’s cut-fill plan – with construction on the massive build, including the steel and mass timber frame, later this month.
According to Ed O’Keefe, the CEO of Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, builders have been working on the library’s eastern retaining wall since last fall. “If you were to come out on-site, you’d see a sequence that began with the topsoil, started with the east wing, moves to the west wing and then will move back to the east wing,” he said late last year.
The project is on a 93-acre site near the venue of the famous Medora Musical and the scenic national park that bears Roosevelt’s name. The US Forest Service finalised the land parcel sale in 2022 after Congress approved it in 2020.
The total construction of the Libary will cost US $180 million, with construction continuing through the winter, barring severe weather.
“We’re hardy and resilient,” Mr O’Keefe quipped.
For Mr O’Keefe, the proudest moment of construction will be the delivery of mass timber and steel, which started in May. “By next summer, you’ll see a very substantial structure on site,” O’Keefe said.
Library organisers are planning a grand library opening for July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.
How the community raised money for Teddy’s library
In 2019, North Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature approved a US $50 million operations endowment for the Library, contingent upon its organisers raising USD 100 million in private donations.
That goal was reached in the autumn of 2020, with Mr O’Keefe confirming the project had already “exceeded over US $200 million in fundraising and commitments,” adding that “fundraising never ends.”
Last year, the legislature approved a US $70 million line of credit through the state-owned Bank of North Dakota for the project, intended as a backstop for beginning construction.
Organisers haven’t tapped the line of credit yet, O’Keefe declared.
Oil magnate Harold Hamm, a major player in the state’s Bakken oil field, has donated US $50 million to the project, which Republican Gov. Doug Burgum announced Doug Burgum.
Mr Burgum, a wealthy software entrepreneur who had thrown his hat into the ring for the Republican Presidential primaries, championed the library proposal in the 2019 session and donated US $1 million to the project.
There are currently 13 Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives, which serve as the archives and museums for the legacy of each administration.
In addition, there are private Presidential Libraries and Museums throughout the US, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and the Jefferson Library. President Roosevelt’s fifth cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR), was the 32nd president of the US (1933-1945).
Located on the grounds of Springwood, the Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park, New York, FDR’s Library was built under the President’s direction in 1939–1940 and dedicated on June 30, 1941. It was the first Presidential Library established in the US.
Nick Milestone will be a keynote speaker at TimberConstruct
Mr Milestone will be one of nine international speakers who will present (remotely) at TimberConstruct, Australia’s largest timber construction conference. According to Andrew Dunn, the conference organiser, Mercer Mass Timber is at the forefront of the mass timber wave and is a leader in timber hybrid construction.
“This is why we are thrilled to have Nick dial in from overseas,” Mr Dunn said. Mr Milestone will join Perry Forsythe, the Emeritus Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney, to discuss the North American mass timber skyline and lessons to learn in an Australian context.
As Vice President of Building and Construction for MMT, Mr Milestone has been involved in some of America’s top mass timber projects, including Brocks Common – for a time, the world’s tallest mass timber building, as well as New York City’s Moynihan Connector. In addition, he helped deliver Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, now Asia’s largest mass timber building and an incubator for growth in the Asian market.
“So far, we have 39 presenters lined up,” Mr Dunn said, with the Melbourne event “focused on materials and design, prefabrication, and building techniques.”
“Tickets are still on sale for the August 12 and 13 event,” Mr Dunn said, “so secure your early bird tickets before it is too late.”
- Please note: Wood Central will publish an exclusive interview with Nick Milestone next week.
