Shovels hit the dirt in Tempe on Thursday as work officially began on the McCain Library and Museum, an 80,000-square-foot center planned on roughly 22 acres just north of Tempe Town Lake. The complex is slated to house Sen. John McCain’s congressional archives, give the McCain Institute a permanent Arizona home, and host exhibitions, conferences, and civic-leadership programs. Elected officials joined members of the McCain family at the groundbreaking while crews started initial site work in the background.
The ceremony unfolded on a parcel near Mill Avenue and Curry Road, where organizers say the development will honor McCain’s 35 years of public service with archives and institute offices at the site. The groundbreaking, held Thursday, put a spotlight on the project’s local roots and future community role, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
President Biden and Arizona State University first rolled out the plan in 2023, when federal support was pledged to help design and build the library. ASU has set aside about 22.5 acres near Mill Avenue and Curry Road, land the university has held since 1980. The university describes the 80,000-square-foot facility as part archive, part visitors’ center, and part public forum for leadership and national-security programming. Planning will move forward in partnership with the McCain family and state leaders, according to ASU News.
What the Library Will Include
The future building is set to house decades of McCain’s congressional papers alongside a visitors’ center, exhibition areas and conference rooms, and it will serve as an Arizona base for the Washington, D.C.-based McCain Institute. Project materials highlight immersive exhibits and educational programming for students, scholars and the broader public, along with opportunities for donors and partners to help shape public programming and outreach at the site, according to the project website, McCain Library and Museum.
Design, Timeline, and Contractors
Early renderings show a landscaped, low-slung complex designed to blend into the Papago Park setting rather than dominate it. Local reporting has identified SHoP Architects as the design firm on the project, with construction leadership that includes Clark Chasse. The library and museum are currently slated to open in 2028, with site work underway now and larger construction phases expected to roll out after design and fundraising milestones are reached. Details on the schedule and project team have been reported by ABC15.
Local Impact and Next Steps
ASU and state officials say the library is meant to operate as both a community hub and a research and leadership center, with the university pledging to work with tribal communities to honor Papago Park’s cultural and historical significance. Governor Katie Hobbs, who joined earlier announcements about the project, has stressed the potential for the center to expand educational and workforce programs for underserved Arizonans, according to the office of Gov. Katie Hobbs. The ASU Foundation will guide fundraising and public engagement as the project moves from dirt work to formal design and permitting stages, with additional context outlined by ASU News.
Leaders from the McCain Institute and members of the McCain family have cast the center as a place to carry forward values of service and character-driven leadership, and as a platform to deepen research and programming partnerships with ASU. The coming months are expected to focus on detailed design, fundraising and permitting before full-scale construction ramps up. The university and its partners say they will update the public as plans evolve, with background outlined in the institute’s announcement from the McCain Institute.
