Presidential countdown
Multi-faceted Clinton complex to open in November

By George Waldon

The daily countdown to the November grand opening of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park, which is posted atop the western face of the four-story library and museum, reveals that the project is on schedule for the big event.

The 148,000-sq.-ft. presidential library in downtown Little Rock will contain 20,000 sq. ft. of museum exhibition space on two levels devoted to a mix of rotating exhibits and permanent displays.

The archives portion of the center was scheduled to open in July and presidential material was to begin being moved from temporary quarters.

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A 110-ft.-long timeline presenting a history of the day-to-day work of Clinton and his administration will include photographs, videos and interactive stations.

Other permanent exhibits will include full-scale replicas of the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room, where visitors can access interactive media stations while sitting at the Cabinet table. Ralph Appelbaum Associates Inc. of New York is the exhibition designer for the project.

Finish-out costs and related work have pushed the value of the project to $110 million.

The main entrance on the west side of the building is aligned with the eastern terminus of President Clinton Avenue, which will be visually punctuated by Celebration Circle bordered by a curved fountain. The basic shape of the project, designed by Polshek Partnership Architects of New York City, resembles a futuristic truss bridge.

But the completion of a point-supported structural glass wall will add the final touch.

"People think they know what the building is going to look like," said Danny Bennett, a project executive with CDI Construction of Little Rock. More than 150,000 lbs. of three-layer Pilkington glass panels will hang from the side of the center. From a distance, the exterior coloring will appear to be solid white, but closer up the panels show a horizontal line pattern.

The interior side of the panels will contain a dot pattern that forms a black tint, which will reduce exterior heat gain from the sun and block ultraviolet rays.

Despite the contrasting hues the custom glasswork allows two-way visibility. The panels are an important component in plans to create an impressive night lighting scheme that will showcase the center. The panels are among a quiltwork of 14 different systems - a dozen of which are custom designed - that compose the center's exterior.

In addition to new construction, the Clinton project involves renovating the historic Choctaw Station. Originally built in 1899 as a rail passenger depot, the 16,500-sq.-ft. structure has more recently been home to an Italian restaurant and night club.

Doyne Construction Co. of North Little Rock is working on a separate $4 million contract to transform it into the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Policy.

"We're going to end up with a new old building," said Dexter Doyne, company president. The building will house two classrooms, library, common room and staff facilities downstairs. Upstairs will be the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation and an office for the former president.

Overseeing the design work here is Polk Stanley Rowland Curzon Porter Architects Ltd. of Little Rock.

The job is moving toward an August deadline. Work kicked off in October, with the first two months devoted to interior demolition and the removal of lead and asbestos. Structural retrofitting followed. About 10 tons of steel in the form of 30 I-beams were installed to shore up the structure and provide needed support for improvements. A new roof was among the items requiring better load-bearing capacity.

The new look will be slate gray, capturing the color of the original roof. A standing-seam metal roof is being retrofitted over an existing green, standing-seam metal roof, which in turn covered the original slate roof beneath. Two flat sections of roof on the north and south ends of the building were stripped down to the decking and topped with a new Derbigum roofing system.

Original plans called for removing the old floor covering and refinishing the wood beneath. That proved unrealistic because of deterioration and leveling issues. A lightweight concrete system was chosen to level the surface instead of a plywood overlay because of reduced creaking and improved stability. A wooden floor will finish the process.

Poplar replaced cypress in a cost-cutting move. Renovation work on the chimneys created access to the attic, where mechanicals were shoehorned into place. The park component of the 27.7-acre development isn't expected to be finished until next year. The same goes for many pieces of the landscaping puzzle.

Plantings and turf are taking a temporary backseat to maintaining open space, which will be at a premium to accommodate the expected throng for the opening ceremonies. Logistics associated with hosting past presidents, dignitaries, secret service agents and national media already are in full swing.

Finishing work on the grounds will include an arboretum featuring varieties of native trees from around the state. Added greenery will be contained in the contemplative grove, a garden with reserved space that could serve as Clinton's burial site. The final resting place option is a little-known amenity of every presidential library development.

Still on the drawing board is a planned riparian garden along the Arkansas River west of the center. Four pedestrian walkways will extend out over the water for scenic overlooks. Also on hold until after November is construction of a large play area.

Based on the concept of "An American Childhood," the playground will feature icons and exaggerated art forms of such elements as blocks, tricycles, a tree house, marbles, leapfrog and hopscotch in homage to the former president's boyhood memories in Arkansas.

The park is designed by Hargreaves Associates of Boston and San Francisco.

Another dormant part of the project is the redevelopment of the nearby Rock Island Railway Bridge. The former rail span will be converted to pedestrian traffic after development plans on the North Little Rock side of the bridge take shape.

Useful Sources

For more details about the project, go to: http://www.arkansasglobecoming.com/clinton_center.asp