The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
A journey through conservation
2020–
Introduction
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is more than a building; it is a journey through a preserved landscape of diverse habitats, punctuated with small pavilions providing spaces for reflection and activity. The building’s location at the northeast edge of the butte preserves the landscape for conservation research while offering a setting for educational walks, leisure, and recreation. Through its ongoing maintenance and cultivation, the site landscape will act as a laboratory and biological repository for the flora of the Badlands.
Technical details
Theodore Roosevelt Foundation
Our design for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is informed by the President’s personal reflections on the landscape, his commitment to environmental stewardship, and the periods of quiet introspection and civic engagement that marked his life. As visitors set out on the Library loop, they will encounter adventurous paths which connect to the nearby Maah Daah Hey Trail as well as several small pavilions. Ranging from contemplative nooks to expansive vistas, these pavilions invite visitors to experience Roosevelt’s trials and triumphs in dialogue with the landscapes that shaped him. Visitors can ascend the accessible rooftop to discover commanding views of the National Park, including historical settings in the Little Missouri River valley, and the location of Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch far in the distance. The vista is a call to action, connecting today’s visitor to Roosevelt’s legacy.
At night, the roof provides an ideal location for stargazing. The design functions in harmony with the unique ecology of the region and expresses the conservation ethos for which Roosevelt is remembered.
Inside the library, interactive exhibition areas will be complemented by a large theater. These two architectural elements are joined underneath the landscaped roof, which creates a central courtyard as well as verandahs where visitors can sit and contemplate the landscape.
The library’s construction will use locally sourced and renewable materials, including mass timber, while its sophisticated energy systems will set a new standard for sustainable design in the region. The design also mitigates the impact of wind and other climatic factors so that the Library will be accessible in all seasons. Drawing a continuum between past and present, our design captures the legacy of T.R., while also making a commitment to the longevity and health of the region.
2 Seed Collection Process
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library seeks to become a source for renewal — a living classroom and an eco-conscious exemplar to inspire, educate, and motivate others to find ways to live more sustainably. Today, there are several unique plant communities and ecologies on the site. The prairies on top of the bluff differ from those in the valley bottoms, and the sun-bleached southern slopes have a different ecological makeup than the more shaded northern edges.
In the summer of 2022, a year before construction began on the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Snøhetta, along with our local landscape architects, Confluence, our ecologists, RES, and the TRPLF, started an ambitious prairie conservation project. The project, which starts by collecting seeds of local genetic origin for over 200 species will bolster native prairie plant communities on the future library site and increase the overall biodiversity of the area.
Many of these plants are not commercially available and have been diminished in number in the western North Dakota wild. Teams of community volunteers, landscape architects, and ecologists spread-out in the grasslands of Medora, at sites that included Roosevelt’s own Maltese Cross and Elkhorn Ranch properties, to collect seeds from species that have adapted to this unique microclimate.
The harvested seeds that Snøhetta and local volunteers gathered during the collection process are now being dried, cataloged, germinated, and multiplied in the greenhouses and fields of our ecologists, RES and our partners at the North Dakota State University research center at Hettinger before they will finally be planted at the library site. As a result of this effort, a more diverse ecosystem with all native, genetically sourced plants will develop on the landscape. Following installation at the library, the seeds will then be made available for others in the community to promote native plant gardens and prairie conservation in the region.