The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is set to open in North Dakota on July 4, 2026 — the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. — the foundation constructing the massive building said.
The “state-of-the-art” library will sit on more than 90 acres of the North Dakota Badlands, on the edge of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Fox News reported.
Artistic projections of the building created by the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation show a design meant to be cohesive with the surrounding nature, featuring an earthen roof that curves with the neighboring grassy hill:
“The grounds and roof will be made up of native plants and grasses so as to help restore the biodiversity of the region which has been degraded over time,” the outlet reported.
The building’s construction team said they reached multiple “new milestones” in October, including the official “topping out” of the main structure, which is when the highest point of the building is installed.
Edward O’Keefe, the CEO of the foundation, said in a statement that North Dakota “is the fulcrum of the hero’s journey in TR’s almost unbelievable life story.”
“[Roosevelt] wrote that if all his memories were to be taken from him, and he was forced only one memory from his incredible life he would choose to remember ‘my life on the ranch with its experiences close to nature and among the men who lived nearest her,’” O’Keefe, a North Dakota native, said. “He did not choose the memory of the Roughriders or the charge up Kettle Hill; he would not recall McKinley’s assassination and his rise from the vice presidency to the Oval Office … TR chose to remember North Dakota, and so North Dakota chooses to remember TR.”
“We want every visitor to the TR presidential library and museum to walk out understanding the role of nature as a restorative force in TR’s life, and that each of us can be the change we want to see in the world,” O’Keefe added. “This museum can be a platform for embracing civic dialogue, thoughtful debate, and inspiration around the globe.”
The library’s construction is supported by the former president’s great-great-grandson, Theodore Roosevelt V.
“My great great grandfather’s legacy of citizenship, leadership, and conservation are as relevant today as they were during the height of his presidency,” Roosevelt said in a statement on the library’s website. “When you focus on people interested in solutions rather than divisive rhetoric, it becomes clear that there is much more that unites us than divides us – just as there was at the turn of the 20th century.”
“Like Theodore Roosevelt, a man of paradoxes – Republican and progressive, crusader against monopolies and capitalist, hunter and conservationist, partisan and rogue independent – our country is many different things,” he added. “Finding the commonality among them may just be the key to America’s future.”