Spencer J Eggers/The Daily Campus
Lead architect Robert A.M. Stern explains the floor plan of the George W. Bush Presidential Center during a press tour the morning of Oct. 3. The Center will open its doors in 2013.
Lead architect Robert A.M. Stern explains the floor plan of the George W. Bush Presidential Center during a press tour the morning of Oct. 3. The Center will open its doors in 2013. (Spencer J Eggers/The Daily Campus)
The George W. Bush Presidential Center held its Topping Out Ceremony on the east side of campus Monday, bringing new opportunities for SMU students.
The Bush Center will house both the presidential museum and the Bush Institute, the former president’s think tank, which will bring important figures and prominent scholars to campus.
“The George W. Bush Presidential Center will guarantee that SMU students have access to nationally and internationally renowned scholars, activists and decision-makers,” senior and student trustee Adriana Martinez said. “SMU students will have the opportunity to engage with and be a part of the conversations that are shaping our classrooms.”
“It’s a wonderful addition to campus already,” SMU President R. Gerald Turner said.
The building itself is a nod to SMU. The top of the Bush Center’s Freedom Hall resembles the dome of Dallas Hall, and it will use the same brick as the rest of campus.
“We wanted the building to fit in with SMU, but we also wanted it to represent the first decade of the new century,” Laura Bush, who chaired the design committee, said. “It’s a great addition to our campus and to this part of the future.”
Video shot and edited by Bridget Bennett, brekow@smu.edu