The Clinton Foundation announced Tuesday its plans for an expansion of the Clinton Presidential Center that will include an institute that will house the personal archives and papers of Hillary Rodham Clinton and "serve as a hub" for her charity and advocacy work.
The Clinton Presidential Center, which contains the presidential library of former U.S. President and former Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, will announce more details of the expansion next year, said foundation spokeswoman Rebecca Tennille.
A new portion of the center included in the expansion will be called the Hillary Rodham Clinton Institute, according to the foundation.
No further details of the plans, cost or timeline of the expansion were given. Details of the exhibits and programs that the institute will offer also were not released.
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said the Clinton library has already had a "multibillion-dollar economic impact" that has fundamentally changed the landscape of the city.
"I can't be more excited about this major expansion and the commitment President Clinton and Secretary Clinton have shown to Little Rock," he said.
The library is located on a 29-acre city-owned park along the Arkansas River.
At-large City Director Dean Kumpuris said the announcement adds to promising developments in the city's East Village, near the River Market District.
Between the Clinton library and Heifer International, Kumpuris noted, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra plans to break ground this week on an $11.75 million headquarters.
Lyon College has also announced plans for a dental and veterinary school that will be located on the Heifer campus.
The college has said it hopes to begin offering classes for both schools next year or in 2025.
"Just in the context of all that's going on throughout downtown, this is a very special day," Kumpuris said.
Scott conveyed similar enthusiasm.
"We are attracting tens of thousands of new residents and visitors," he said. "We're opening up the east side of our downtown for the world to discover a city abounding in cultural and educational opportunities."
Hillary Clinton was first lady of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again from 1983 through 1992. She was the first lady of the United States from 1993 through 2000 and later served eight years as U.S. senator from New York and four years as secretary of state under then-President Barack Obama.
She ran for president twice and won the Democratic Party's nomination for president in 2016 before losing the general election to Donald Trump.
The Clinton Presidential Center opened its doors in 2004. Since then, more than 5 million people from around the world have visited the building, Tennille said.
She added that the expansion will attract more people and further diversify what the center has long offered.
"The project will enhance the Clinton Center's ability to host exhibitions, convene global leaders and provide educational opportunities," she said.
Jay Chesshir, president and CEO of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the center has been a "unique destination" that has been "instrumental in so many facets" of the city's growth and economy during the past 20 years.
"This expansion announcement, to include the Hillary Rodham Clinton Institute, will further enhance the original mission while adding so many additional reasons to visit, enjoy and share," Chesshir said.
"The Clinton Presidential Center is a trusted convener of people, ideas, art, exhibitions, community gatherings and discussions on how to improve Little Rock and the world in which we live."
In 2014, the Little Rock Regional Chamber announced that the center had a total economic impact of $3.3 billion in downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock.
Studio Gang, described by the foundation as an "award-winning international architecture and urban design practice," will oversee the expansion project.
The company is headquartered in Chicago and has offices around the world. It designed the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, which reopened in April at MacArthur Park, less than a mile from the Clinton Presidential Center.
"[Studio Gang founder] Jennie Gang is one of the top two or three architects in the world, and Little Rock is going to have two of her buildings eight or nine blocks apart," Kumpuris said.
Clinton Foundation Executive Director Stephanie S. Streett said Studio Gang is "the perfect partner to help us explore opportunities to expand our impact with a focus on sustainability and bringing people together."
The Clinton Presidential Center is home to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, the Little Rock offices of the Clinton Foundation, the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas and is a managing partner of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program.