Architects Henning Larsen, Snøhetta, and Studio Gang have been announced as the finalists for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota.
The three were chosen from a list of 12 teams, which also included Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Studio Libeskind and Renzo Piano Building Workshop, according to Inforum.
The three architects will work with on the development with the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation in Medora in June. Design concepts for the library are due on 17 July and renderings by 3 August.
The winning firm will work alongside a North Dakotan executive architect and construction management team.
Edward O’Keefe, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation’s chief executive, said: "The world needs Theodore Roosevelt now more than ever.
"I have been asked frequently what Theodore Roosevelt might do were he with us during these challenging times; my answer is simple: Theodore Roosevelt endures. He would persevere, and so that’s what we are going to do."
Ken Vein, director of design and construction for the foundation, said: "This is an exciting next step in creating not just the Theodore Roosevelt Library but also an economic stimulus for North Dakota. The project is an investment in construction and jobs, and the Theodore Roosevelt Library will add to our state’s economy for generations to come."
The project aims to show "what we can learn from, not about, the 26th president", and focuses on the three principals of "conservation, leadership, and citizenship".
Theodore Roosevelt lived in North Dakota between September 1883 and February 1884. Other attempts throughout the 20th Century to start the project in New York City have collapsed, with important documents and archives currently donated to Harvard University.
At present, an online database called the Theodore Roosevelt Centre is available courtesy of North Dakota’s Dickinson State University.
There are currently 13 official presidential libraries, the first for Herbert Hoover, with a 14th planned for Barack Obama in Chicago.
Image courtesy of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation
