Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

What Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library does

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a private, non-profit presidential library foundation established in 2014 to build and operate an immersive presidential library and museum in Medora, North Dakota, on a 93-acre campus scheduled to open July 4, 2026, to coincide with America's 250th anniversary. The facility, designed by architecture firm Snøhetta with exhibits built by Dimensional Innovations, features immersive storytelling galleries, a recreation of the Elkhorn Ranch cabin, the Whistle Stop Tour interactive exhibit, and a mass-timber structure pursuing LEED, SITES, and Living Building Challenge certifications as the first carbon-neutral presidential library. It is the first presidential library built in partnership with a national park (Theodore Roosevelt National Park) and houses unique archival assets including the Edmund Morris Archives at the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University, backed by a $10M T.R. Scholars digitization commitment.

The institution's core technology stack centers on AI-powered interactive exhibits, including a conversational AI Archive allowing visitors to hold text-based dialogue with an AI recreation of Theodore Roosevelt (knowledge retrieval plus generative AI), supported by holograms and the 1,776-drone "Eyes on the Stars" aerial show. Revenue is generated through a diversified non-profit model: one-time general-admission and specialty-tour ticket sales, a recurring Founding Membership program (annual billing), retail/merchandise sales via shop.trlibrary.com, private event venue rentals, and philanthropic donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Customer segments span general tourists visiting the Medora/national-park corridor, K-12 and higher-education students via the Teach TR program, corporate and group event clients, and civic-minded individuals. Distribution is anchored on online ticketing (trlibrary.com), group reservations, free shuttle service from the Fryburg parking lot, and cross-promotion with the National Park Service's 800,000+ annual visitors. Marketing is led through earned media (CBS Sunday Morning, Good Morning America), the Good Citizen podcast, virtual programming, and email/social channels. The Foundation has raised $338M of a $450M total project goal as of May 2025 from donors including Harold Hamm ($50M), John Ballantyne ($10M), Bank of America ($5M), the Sarah and Ross Perot Jr. Foundation ($5M), Gary Tharaldson ($5M), and ConocoPhillips ($2M).

Name

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

Legal name

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation

Website

https://trlibrary.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a non-profit foundation building an immersive presidential library and museum in Medora, North Dakota, opening July 4, 2026. It serves tourists, educators, and civic audiences with AI-powered exhibits, immersive galleries, drone shows, and year-round programming tied to America's 250th anniversary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Presidential Library & Museum

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110), Libraries and Archives (519210), Historical Sites (712120)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), National Archives, Records & Information Governance (BPAIAAAG), Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

Keywords

• Presidential library
• Museum exhibits
• Cultural tourism
• Educational programming
• Historical preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Medora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Admission Tickets: The library generates revenue through ticket sales for exhibits and the grand opening ceremony. Tickets are available for July 4, 2026 opening and subsequent dates through the end of the year.
2. Membership Program: Founding Members receive early access and priority admission when the Library opens, along with exclusive benefits. The membership program provides recurring revenue from annual membership fees.
3. Retail/Gift Shop: The library operates a retail store selling merchandise, books, and souvenirs with the Badlands theme. Every purchase supports the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.
4. Donations and Philanthropy: As a nonprofit foundation, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library relies heavily on charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund construction and operations.
5. Private Events: The facility offers spaces for private events, corporate gatherings, and special occasions.
6. Specialty Tours: The library offers specialty tours beyond general admission, providing premium visitor experiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a nonprofit presidential library and museum that provides immersive exhibits, educational programs, and cultural tourism experiences centered on the life and legacy of the 26th U.S. President. The library offers AI-powered interactive exhibits, specialty tours, group reservations, private events, a retail store, and a Founding Membership program, all set on a 90.3-acre Snøhetta-designed site in the Badlands of Medora, North Dakota, opening July 4, 2026.

Product overview

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a physical presidential library and immersive museum experience located in Medora, North Dakota, designed by Snøhetta. The library combines physical exhibits (including the Whistle Stop Tour interactive exhibit and AI Archive Experience) with digital programs (Good Citizen Podcast, Teach TR educational resources, Virtual Events, and Trailblazer mobile platform). The opening celebration on July 4, 2026 features the 'Eyes on the Stars' drone show. The institution operates a membership program (Founding Members) and online retail store. The library is marketed as 'the participant is the hero' experience, offering year-round tourism with specialty tours, outdoor activities, and shopping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Good Citizen Podcast: A podcast hosted by Ted Roosevelt V featuring discussions with thought leaders focused on civic engagement and being a good citizen.
• Eyes on the Stars
• Campfire & Prairie Talks
• Trailblazer Platform

Products and services

• Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library (Museum Admission) A year-round presidential library and immersive museum experience dedicated to the 26th U.S. President, featuring AI-powered exhibits, holograms, and immersive storytelling galleries set in the Badlands of Medora, North Dakota. Open to general public visitors and tourists seeking cultural, historical, and educational experiences.
• Grand Opening Ceremony (July 4, 2026) One-day ceremonial opening event on July 4, 2026 featuring the grand opening ceremony and the 'Eyes on the Stars' drone show with 1,776 drones choreographed above the Badlands. Free admission but advance registration required.
• Specialty Tours Premium guided tour experiences beyond general admission, providing enhanced visitor experiences of the library's exhibits and the surrounding Badlands landscape for individual visitors.
• Founding Membership Program Annual membership program offering early access and priority admission benefits when the Library opens, along with exclusive member benefits. Provides recurring subscription revenue to support the library's mission.
• Group Reservations Coordinated group visit reservations for organized tour groups, schools, and corporate parties seeking premium coordinated visits to the library and exhibits.
• Private Events / Venue Rental Facility rental for private events, corporate gatherings, and special occasions at the presidential library venue, leveraging the unique setting and immersive spaces.
• TRPL Online Store / Retail Shop E-commerce store and on-site retail gift shop selling merchandise, books, and souvenirs themed around the Badlands and Theodore Roosevelt. Every purchase supports the library's mission.
• Good Citizen Podcast Monthly podcast hosted by Ted Roosevelt V (great-great-grandson of the 26th President) featuring discussions with thought leaders, innovators, and civic icons on citizenship, leadership, and conservation themes aligned with TR's values.
• Teach TR Educational Resources Free educational materials and resources for K-12 and higher education teachers to bring Theodore Roosevelt's legacy of leadership, citizenship, and conservation into classroom learning, including on-site and virtual programs.
• Virtual Events and Campfire & Prairie Talks Online programming including virtual book talks, Campfire & Prairie Talks speaker series, Earth Day celebrations, and educational presentations featuring invited speakers, authors, and public leaders streamed to remote audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Expected to drive tourism to North Dakota as a world-class destination
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ryan (Global Tax Services and Software)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026Ryan, a global tax services and software firm, fully underwrote the Library's Whistle Stop Tour interactive museum exhibit, which recreates Roosevelt's 1903 campaign across 25 states covering 14,000 miles.
• Doris Kearns Goodwin and Beth LaskicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2025Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and award-winning storyteller Beth Laski were appointed to the Board of Trustees. Their expertise in historical scholarship and media production will help build the library as an institution of action, not just artifacts.
• Dimensional InnovationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2025Dimensional Innovations (DI), a design and fabrication firm, is delivering the exhibit work for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. The $450 million project includes immersive experience galleries and environmentally sustainable design elements.
• Dickinson State University / Theodore Roosevelt CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2024The Edmund Morris Archives are housed at the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University. The center provides digital archives access for the library's research capabilities. The library has committed $10 million to the T.R. Scholars program and digitization of archives.
• ConfluencecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 January 2022Confluence, a landscape architecture firm with offices in North Dakota, serves as the landscape architect of record. Working with Snøhetta and JLG, Confluence is leading restoration of native ecology including the Native Plant Project in partnership with NDSU.
• SnøhettacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2020Snøhetta, an internationally renowned Norwegian and U.S. architecture and landscape firm, serves as the design architect for the project. Selected from over 40 firms, Snøhetta designed the 15th presidential library to integrate with the Badlands landscape.
• Theodore Roosevelt Medora FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEd Schafer, former North Dakota governor and chair of the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation (which oversees $60 million in assets), supports the library project. The TRMF has 50+ years of experience in the Badlands and shares the goal of bringing Roosevelt's story to the public.
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park / National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe library is the first presidential library built in partnership with a national park. A Memorandum of Intent establishes trails connecting the library to the park, including the 144-mile Maah Daah Hey Trail. The Elkhorn Ranch is part of the national park system.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Institution: The U.S.'s largest museum and research complex; broad incumbent in exhibition, education, and tourism with overlapping capabilities but at vastly greater scale than the TR Library.

Direct peers

• John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum: Operated by a private foundation in partnership with NARA and UMass Boston, combining presidential archives, immersive museum galleries, and educational programming — the canonical peer for any presidential library.
• Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: A NARA-operated presidential library in Simi Valley, California, with permanent galleries, Air Force One pavilion, and special events — comparable as a destination presidential library with event and tourism revenue streams.
• George W. Bush Presidential Center: A private foundation–operated presidential library on the SMU campus in Dallas with museum, archive, and policy institute — comparable as a foundation-led presidential destination combining exhibits with programming and thought leadership.
• Richard Nixon Presidential Library: A NARA-operated presidential library in Yorba Linda, California, with museum galleries, archives, and a presidential birthsite — comparable as a destination presidential museum and archive combining education with tourism.
• William J. Clinton Presidential Library: A NARA-operated presidential library in Little Rock, Arkansas, with museum galleries, archives, and replica Cabinet Room — comparable as a destination museum and archive offering educational programming and special events.
• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum: A state-operated presidential library and museum in Springfield, Illinois, combining historical archives with immersive theater-style exhibits — directly comparable as a presidential library/museum experience.
• Barack Obama Presidential Center: A private foundation–led presidential library under construction in Chicago with immersive exhibits and a heavy emphasis on programming and civic engagement — the closest structural analog to TR Library's private-foundation + immersive-exhibit model.

Emerging players

• Meow Wolf: An immersive experience company creating large-scale interactive art installations with permanent venues in multiple cities; comparable in technology stack (immersive storytelling, interactive exhibits) and target audience experience model.

Regional players

• Mount Rushmore National Memorial: A National Park Service site in the Black Hills combining monumental sculpture with visitor programming; comparable as a national-park-adjacent cultural attraction driving regional tourism in a rural setting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ6mJwVHrWqTgBbITG-l5vw
• Xx.com/TRPresLibrary
• Facebookfacebook.com/TRPresidentialLibrary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trlibrary

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library