News Release
NPS Photo / D. Smith
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Contact: Cynthia Dorminey, 830-868-7128
On November 1, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park welcomed National Park Service leaders, the Friends of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, and Johnson family friends to celebrate the groundbreaking for the highly anticipated Texas White House Rehabilitation Project, funded by the Great American Outdoors Act.
After being closed to the public since 2018 due to structural and mold issues, rehabilitation work on the Texas White House will now begin this January. In the five years since its closure, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park has coordinated numerous environmental and structural investigations, mold remediation, conservation of historical artifacts, a year-and-a-half long design process, as well as a value analysis to confirm optimal solutions for rehabilitation. Throughout the design process, the rehabilitation has been coordinated with the Texas Historical Commission to ensure compliance with all historical regulatory requirements.
“The name of the fund in the Great American Outdoors Act is the Legacy Restoration Fund. That is a fitting name to be talking about here,” said Aaron Roth, National Park Service Associate Regional Director for Facilities and Lands. “We’re here in the shadow of a huge legacy—the Johnson family giving us this place for the American people, for everyone to enjoy. What excites me about this project is that legacy restoration. This is an opportunity for us to bring back something we lost.”
The base contract for the Texas White House and Hangar Rehabilitation was awarded for construction on September 26 to KOMAN Sustainable Solutions, LLC, in the amount of $11,408,153. The work will also include improvements in accessibility, site drainage and stabilization of the historic aides and communications trailers and switchboard building once all options are awarded. Rehabilitation of the historic Hangar, which serves as the LBJ Ranch Visitor Center, is being paid for with National Park Service repair and rehabilitation funds and cyclic maintenance funds.
The Texas White House Complex is anticipated to reopen to the public in late 2025, after construction is completed and the buildings can be restaged. Design of an updated Interpretive experience and new exhibits for the Hangar is also ongoing and will be incorporated in the future as well.
This project is being funded in part by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) passed by Congress in 2020 as part of a concerted effort to address the large maintenance backlog in national parks. Supported by revenue from energy development, GAOA's Legacy Restoration Fund provides up to $1.3 billion per year for five years to make significant enhancements in national parks to ensure their preservation and provide opportunities for recreation, education, and enjoyment for current and future visitors.
Last updated: November 10, 2023