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August 18, 2009, 09:43 AM ET
Baylor U. Offer for Bush Library Included Riverfront Land and Baseball Diamond
Baylor University lost out to Southern Methodist in the bidding to attract the George W. Bush Presidential Library, but it sure wasn't because Baylor's offer was stingy. The Dallas Morning News reports that Baylor and the architecture firm it was working with, HOK, proposed a 150-acre site on the Brazos River for the library complex, and offered the Bushes a range of options that included a Little League baseball field, an IMAX theater, a fishing pond, a barbecue pavilion, restaurants and shops, and a dock for water taxis. All of the options would have included a museum, classrooms, and a conference center in addition to the library.
Mark Langdale, president of the George W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, told the newspaper that Southern Methodist's more modest 32-acre proposal, which included a policy center, was a better match for the foundation's "serious" goals. "It fits into an academic environment," he said of the library.
But Southern Methodist's bid had an edge from the start -- Laura Bush is both an alumna and a trustee. "SMU was my school and, of course, I was interested because of that," she said in January in an interview with a television station in Waco, Baylor's hometown. "But also it's a good location in Dallas and on a metro stop" on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system.
Baylor only recently released the 106-page proposal it sent to the library's site-selection committee back in 2005. Meanwhile, Southern Methodist's construction plans have been held up by several disputes, including a lawsuit that was settled last month. A groundbreaking is scheduled for 2010, with the opening set for 2013.
Comments
1. crkercheval - August 19, 2009 at 08:59 am
HI,
Thought you would be interested in reading this one!!
LOVE YOU,
Carol
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