All content © Chad Ziemendorf. Contact me directly for licensing requests.
The Only Comprehensive Visual Record
I first visited the future site of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in 2020. It was a crisp spring morning, and my job was to capture the windswept prairie in a way that conveyed the profound resilience, peace, and renewal that only the North Dakota Badlands can offer.
The Library existed only as an ambitious dream. Architectural sketches hadn't even been created yet.
Five years later, I've documented every moment of its transformation. Over 10,000 images across 30+ site visits, from initial design sketches through to eventual opening day on July 4, 2026.
The first concrete pour. The first steel beam. The rammed-earth walls. The installation of 130,000 native plants. The craftspeople who built it. The landscape that shaped both the design and Theodore Roosevelt himself.
I'm the only photographer with this access, the only one who's been there from the beginning.
And for the next six months, I'm sharing it with you.
What To Expect
What's Inside Boundless?
Every Sunday, Starting January 18, 2026.
For the next six months, you'll receive exclusive documentation of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library's final construction phase - images and stories from the only photographer with comprehensive access since 2020. Construction milestones, craftspeople portraits, the landscape transformation, and the opening day celebration on America's 250th anniversary.
But Boundless isn't just about one building.
It's about what vast landscapes and monumental human endeavors teach us—about resilience, perspective, and renewal.
The same wisdom Roosevelt discovered in these Badlands.
The kind of seeing that's harder to find in an accelerating world, and more necessary than ever.
Note: after confirmation you'll also receive an exclusive 6-email Welcome Series. First up: a hidden (subscriber-only) image gallery. Then, a few short emails introducing you to the photographer, the process, and the "why." After that, your weekly Boundless emails begin January 10.
Construction Milestones
From first dirt moved to final steel beam, I've documented every significant moment of this build. You'll see the 216 geothermal wells being drilled 300 feet into the earth, the mass timber installation that tells a carbon story, the living roof with 130,000 native plants, and the massive rammed earth wall built to echo the rhythm of the Badlands.
It's not just about what gets built, but how it happens and why these choices matter for a building designed to last centuries..
Landscape Transformation
This site has gone from pristine prairie to a $450 million architectural landmark, and I've been there for all of it.
The building's location was moved mid-design to preserve the view. Seeds were collected from native sites across the region, topsoil was carefully preserved to transplant on the roof, and 130,000 plant plugs were grown in specialized nurseries.
Not to mention the mile-long boardwalk that lets visitors experience the Badlands the way Roosevelt did in 1884: on foot, at nature's pace, aware of every shift in terrain.
This project lets visitors completely immerse themselves in the same transformational landscape that TR saw 140 years ago.
Behind The Lens
I'll share what it's actually like documenting this transformation. The dark pre-dawn drives to catch a perfect sunrise. Coordinating with construction schedules to capture the exact moment steel becomes structure. Working through North Dakota weather extremes and active job site safety protocols. I'll explain why I chose certain angles, which images almost didn't happen, and what I learned along the way.
The Craftspeople
Stories from the workers, architects, and local contractors (75% North Dakota-based) who are bringing this vision to life.
You'll meet the people whose hands placed each beam, who solved problems when specs changed mid-build, whose skill shows in every careful weld and measured cut. These aren't just construction workers. They're the human element turning architectural drawings into a national landmark.
Northern Plains Wisdom
This landscape is unlike anyplace else on Earth. If you know, you know.
The relentless terrain teaches us something about resilience, perspective, and renewal.
Roosevelt discovered it here in 1884 after devastating personal loss, and the Badlands haven't changed much since then. They're not just beautiful. They're psychologically transformative in ways most people don't expect until they experience it themselves.
In a constantly accelerating world, this place offers something increasingly rare: space to breathe, permission to slow down, evidence that vastness still exists.
Opening Day Coverage
July 4, 2026 - America's 250th anniversary. All living presidents invited. The nation's attention directed to North Dakota in a way that has never happened before and may never happen again.
You'll experience the dedication ceremony, the first visitors walking the boardwalk, the landscape that shaped a president finally honored in the place where his transformation began.
The construction story has an ending. The comprehensive visual record I'm sharing with Boundless subscribers won't exist in this form after opening day.
Why The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library?
In 1884, Theodore Roosevelt lost his wife and mother on the same day - Valentine's Day. Devastated, he fled to the North Dakota Badlands seeking solitude.
What he ultimately found transformed him.
"If it had not been for my years in North Dakota," he later wrote, "I never would have been President."
The landscape that healed Roosevelt became his passion. He established America's first national parks, launched the conservation movement, and protected millions of acres of wilderness.
This library - opening on America's 250th anniversary - honors that legacy in the place where it began.
Here's a taste of what's waiting in your private gallery (these 12 are from just one recent visit):
All content © Chad Ziemendorf. Contact me directly for licensing requests.
NORTH DAKOTA AND NASHVILLE-BASED PHOTOGRAPHER CHAD ZIEMENDORF
Meet The Photographer
I'm Chad Ziemendorf. I use a camera to curate moments of authentic connection in an accelerated world, revealing the enduring wisdom found in both monumental human endeavors and vast quiet landscapes.
My journey here wasn't direct. Professional baseball taught me discipline and pattern recognition. Photojournalism at the San Francisco Chronicle and Reuters taught me how to curate simplicity amongst chaos. Legacy Project Documentation taught me that comprehensive visual narratives accelerate progress and preserve meaning.
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library combines everything I care about: landmark architecture, the Northern Plains landscape, the legacy of conservation, and the power of transformation. For five years, I've documented every phase of this $450M project. Not as an observer, but as someone deeply invested in what it represents.
Through BOUNDLESS, I'm inviting you into that experience.
Image of Chad Ziemendorf by Crystal Wendlandt
Your Questions, Answered.
Who is this for?
Architects and developers who appreciate how landmark projects come together. North Dakota natives who want to see their state on the national stage. Photographers and creative professionals drawn to visual storytelling. Anyone who loves a good transformation story—whether it's buildings, landscapes, or the people shaped by both."
What exactly will I receive?
Every Sunday starting January 18, 2026, you'll get a comprehensive email featuring 10-20 exclusive images, behind-the-scenes stories, technical insights, and reflections on what this project teaches us. Think of it as a visual essay delivered weekly. Each issue stands alone but builds toward complete documentation.
Will I get anything before January 18, 2026?
After subscribing, you'll receive a confirmation email. Confirm your address (this is important - I can't send you anything without it), and I'll immediately send you a welcome email with a hidden link to some of my personal-favorite images from the TR Library. Subscriber-only access.
Then you'll receive my Welcome Sequence - six emails that introduce my mission, my unconventional path to photography ("How did a professional baseball player from California end up documenting a presidential library in North Dakota?"), and the work that's already transforming spaces across the country.
What do I get immediately after signing up?
The second you confirm your email, you'll receive a private link to 9 curated galleries featuring over 100 exclusive images from 3+ years of documentation, all organized by theme (Moving Dirt, First Concrete, Steel & Timber, Rammed Earth Wall, etc.). It's a special glimpse into my comprehensive visual record of the project so far, and it's yours immediately. Your first weekly Boundless issue arrives January 18.
Is this only about construction?
No. Construction is the vehicle, but the story is bigger - it's about transformation, craftsmanship, landscape, legacy, and what Roosevelt discovered in these Badlands. You'll get equal parts stunning imagery, human stories, and Northern Plains wisdom.
What if I join partway through?
No problem! Join whenever you discover Boundless. Past issues are archived on my blog where you can catch up at your own pace. But subscribers get first access to new images, exclusive offers and content that never hits the public archive.
Will this continue after the July 4 opening?
Yes, but it will evolve. The primary focus through September 2026 is the Library. After that, Boundless naturally expands to other Northern Plains subjects, photography philosophy, and broader explorations of the four themes: Peace, Resilience, Perspective, Renewal.
How much does this cost?
Nothing. "Boundless" is free. I may occasionally mention my fine art prints (these same landscapes transformed into large-scale installations), but there's never pressure to buy anything. You're here for the story, and the story is the point.
Can I unsubscribe anytime?
Of course! There's an unsubscribe link in every email. No hard feelings.