In 1883, a young Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Billings County, North Dakota, to hunt bison and immerse himself in the lifestyle of the West. It was on this land that he would begin his life as a cattle rancher, hunt across the badlands, and find solace during periods of hardship. Today, on the very same land in remote Medora, North Dakota, JE Dunn Construction is nearing completion of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library (TRPL) — a historic project for the company — built and designed to honor and uphold the legacy of one of the nation’s most beloved presidents.
“We’re not just preserving history here; we’re building history for someone else to preserve,” General Superintendent Steve Fore said.
The library is set to open July Fourth, 2026, coinciding with the United States’ 250th birthday. The building will feature immersive storytelling, new technologies, and a first-of-its-kind digital library. Sitting on 92 acres, this 96,000-square-foot building showcases architectural design from Norwegian firm Snøhetta, allowing it to complement and nestle into the unique, remote landscape of southwestern North Dakota.
“The remote site has brought some challenges … we’ve done a good job of adapting by partnering with as many local groups that are familiar with the area,” Project Manager 1 Trever Leingang said.
From working with local utilities to provide power and water, to expanding and creating access roads, to pre-planning material delivery, the team’s adaptability to remote construction conditions has allowed them to thrive under unique circumstances.
Much of Roosevelt’s lasting impact on the nation comes from his deep dedication to conservation through efforts such as establishing the United States Forest Service and laying the groundwork for the National Park Service. In the spirit of his conservation, the TRPL is designed with sustainability in mind — including net-zero goals for electricity, water, waste, and emissions — along with site-wide initiatives to encourage growth and protection of the area’s native flora and fauna.
“The landscape is part of the design,” Leingang said. “Contouring this building into the landscape helps us reach those sustainability goals.”
A centerpiece of the project’s design is its earthen roof that gradually slopes out of the butte, where visitors will be able to walk atop it to get a better view of the surrounding landscape.
“The green roof has 130,000 native plants that have been hand-grown from seeds picked here,” Fore said. “There are 51 different species right now on the roof alone.”
Alongside the green roof, the site will feature a roughly mile-long boardwalk that gives visitors an in-depth view of the local grasslands, teeming with upwards of 400,000 native plants sourced and planted in partnership with Resource Environmental Solutions and North Dakota State University.
The library’s mass timber construction plays a large part in maintaining its sustainability goals. Known for its renewability and carbon-storing properties, mass timber aligns itself with Roosevelt’s legacy of conservation.
“Mass timber allows the building to feel warm, natural, and connected to the surrounding landscape,” Leingang said. “It’s an embodiment of Roosevelt’s belief in preserving and wisely using natural resources.”
Utilizing rammed-earth walls and a mass timber rain screen along its facade, the library pulls design elements directly from the surrounding environment, allowing it to blend back into the natural landscape — adding to it rather than taking away. The rain screen in particular has been a large opportunity for self-perform work. The screen panels are prefabricated in the JE Dunn PreBuild facility in Kansas City, designed and built with sustainability and efficient installation in mind.
“PreBuild is playing a large role in our self-perform scope on the project,” Leingang said. “The panel system greatly benefits the installation process — they will be constantly sending us material over the next nine months.”
Cross-company collaboration is another reason for the project’s success as it nears completion. Featuring a team of 90% traveler employees from around the Midwest region, the TRPL project team has worked diligently to create a high-achieving environment of dedication and pride.
“It’s common to go the extra mile up here,” Leingang said. “Our team understands the importance and significance of the project. It goes a long way.”
For the team, it’s not only an important job for the nation, but an opportunity for them to be a part of something larger than themselves.
“I’ve got eight grandkids,” Fore said. “I’m pretty proud of working on a project like this — something they can see for the rest of their, and hopefully into their kids’ lives.”
“It’s an extremely unique, once-in-a-lifetime job for somebody like me,” Leingang said. “JE Dunn has a lot of different capabilities, but doing something like this has shown me how far we can go.”
