Dirt is moving as construction begins on Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora

MEDORA, N.D. — Construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library has begun with excavation of the site on top of a butte overlooking the national park that commemorates America’s “cowboy president.”

Earth scraping began June 15 and is 65% accomplished, with excavation completion expected by mid-July, according to Ed O’Keefe, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation.

“Magnificent milestone,” he said. “We are under construction.”

Completion of the library, including installation of exhibits, is scheduled for July 4, 2026, an official event celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Excavated topsoil is being placed in two large piles for later landscaping use on the 93-acre site, including a “green” roof for the building that will be

planted in native prairie and plants from seeds collected in the area

.

Construction is broken up into four bid packages, and all of the bids in the first group were awarded to western North Dakota contractors, O’Keefe said. “We feel good about that,” he said.

The construction manager, J.E. Dunn, has a large base of operations in nearby Dickinson.

Once excavation is finished, work will begin on a retaining wall for the library’s east wing, where a 28-foot hole will be dug, then allowed to settle for one or two months.

A “proud moment” will come in March or April of 2024 with delivery of steel and massive timbers hewn from Douglas firs.

Some prominent walls will be fashioned from what is called “rammed earth,” layered soils compressed in bands to mimic the striking striations of the Little Missouri Badlands.

“It’s an alternative to concrete and steel and it’s absolutely gorgeous,” O’Keefe said. “It’s a beautiful natural material.”

Douglas fir also will be used to make custom ceiling baffles to dampen sounds in high-traffic areas, including the main lobby of the west wing. The ceilings are designed by ARUP Group, an acoustic engineering firm that is working with Snöhetta, the lead architect on the project.

The goal is to use as many materials as possible from a radius of 400 or 500 miles from Medora. One material that is a notable exception to that goal: slabs from a copper beech tree Roosevelt planted at his Sagamore Hill home in New York that will be used for a lectern and a conference table.

“We wanted to find ways where we could bring the East into the West and the West into the East,” O’Keefe said.

With an eye to local flavor, the library foundation is working with an indigenous chef to source food for the cafe locally, including beef from nearby ranches.

A breezeway with a view of the national park will be made from wood. About a dozen samples are on the site, exposed to the elements, to allow designers to pick the one that best blends with other materials.

All of the materials are being chosen with a 100-year lifespan in mind.

One of the library’s distinctive rooms is a 301-seat auditorium in the east wing that is designed to accommodate major events, including presidential debates and speeches.

“This is going to be an extraordinary, special space,” O’Keefe said. Behind the stage, windows will allow a view of the rugged buttes of the national park, but can be closed for events.

The library’s grounds will include a path encircling the site that will connect directly with the nearby Maah Daah Hey trail, which runs throughout the Badlands.

The trailhead will include shaded seating, a newly added feature thanks to a donation from a benefactor, O’Keefe said.

Fundraising for the project continues. So far, $200 million has been raised. The library has a construction budget of $178.7 million, but the capital budget also must cover exhibits and programming, O’Keefe said.

“We definitely want people to know we want them ‘in the arena,’” he said, referring to ongoing fundraising. “The capital project is more than a building.”

“In the arena” is a touchstone phrase from a famous speech by Roosevelt, who urged people to ignore critics and enter the fray to achieve worthwhile accomplishments. Words from the speech will surround visitors in an exhibit.

“Those words continue to inspire today,” O’Keefe said, noting the speech has entered popular culture, citing basketball star LeBron James’ allusion to the speech when he was named NBA scoring leader and a tattoo worn by singer Miley Cyrus.

“His philosophy has an impact,” he said.

Working along construction crews are horned moths collected from the area that feed on leafy spurge, a noxious weed and invasive species that vexes property owners including ranchers and the park.