Former President George W. Bush is to unveil this design for his presidential-library complex at Southern Methodist U. Wednesday afternoon. (Robert A.M. Stern Architects renderings)
The George W. Bush Presidential Library at Southern Methodist University will be a fairly contemporary structure whose clean lines call to mind the shapes of Georgian architecture without replicating its ornament and details, according to drawings that the former president and his wife, Laura Bush, are scheduled to release at a press conference this afternoon.
But USA Today had the drawings online Tuesday evening, along with an article that described “a lantern-shaped roof that will glow at night.” The article said Mr. Bush was “thrilled with the plans.”
The Dallas Morning News followed quickly, posting an interview in which Mrs. Bush said she “did not want this to be monumental like some other libraries are.” She added: “We wanted it to be human in scale.” Mrs. Bush is an SMU alumna.
The 225,000-square-foot library complex was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, the firm headed by Yale University’s architecture dean. The library has been a source of controversy among some Southern Methodist faculty members, as well as a cause of legal action by some disgruntled SMU neighbors. The complex will comprise both a presidential library and museum, overseen by the Park Service, and a policy institute operated by a private foundation. USA Today said the foundation planned to raise $300-million to pay for the complex.
Considering that Southern Methodist is known for putting up faithfully-Georgian buildings, the contemporary lines of Mr. Stern’s design come as something of a surprise. Mrs. Bush told the News that she had worked with Mr. Stern’s firm to produce “a modern building” because Mr. Bush was the first 21st-century president.
Mr. Stern said the facility would be clad in Mississippi brick and Texas limestone. Landscaping will be by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, and will in part call to mind the Texas prairie, the News article said.
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3 Responses to ‘USA Today’ Gets an Early Look at Bush Library Plans
lslerner - November 18, 2009 at 3:41 pm
A year or so ago, the Chronicle of Higher Education ran a contest for plans for the complex (http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Illustrator-Who-Was-Inspire/5076/). Many of the submissions were far more interesting (and many of them a lot funnier) than this one, which is, I suppose, just plain Boola-Boola. (Perhaps the architect was simply making a point that no other campus, or adjunct thereto, must be as attractive as Yale!)
stemc - November 19, 2009 at 8:21 am
I understand there will be two books in the library and he has not finished coloring one yet.
awegweiser1 - November 19, 2009 at 12:27 pm
So he finally managed to get the colors insde all the lines so he could start volume 2.The landscaping will call to mind theTexas prairie, says Van Valkenburg Associates. Must be a talented gang to produce a flat, boring and dull surrounding for this. Except for a quantity of brush for GWB to whack away at.And of course the “library” will have a special section for the collected works of John C Yoo, the sweeheart that assured Bush that torture was a fine policy.