Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum

Lyndon Baines Johnson Library
Location in Texas
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum (the US)
Location Austin, Texas, United States
Coordinates 30°17′09″N 97°43′45″W / 30.2857°N 97.7292°W / 30.2857; -97.7292Coordinates: 30°17′09″N 97°43′45″W / 30.2857°N 97.7292°W / 30.2857; -97.7292
Dedicated May 22, 1971
Named for Lyndon B. Johnson
Architect Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill[1]
Size 14 acres (57,000 m²)
Management National Archives and University of Texas at Austin
Website www.lbjlibrary.org

The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, also known as the LBJ Presidential Library, is the presidential library and museum of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States (1963–1969). It is located on the grounds of the University of Texas at Austin, and is one of 13 Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. The LBJ Library houses 45 million pages of historical documents, including the papers of President Johnson and those of his close associates and others.

History

President Nixon and former President Johnson at the museum's dedication in 1971

The Library was dedicated on May 22, 1971, with Johnson and then-President Richard Nixon in attendance. The view of the Texas State Capitol from the library's terrace became one of the Capitol View Corridors protected under state and local law from obstruction by tall buildings in 1983.[2] The complex, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architects Gordon Bunshaft and R Max Brooks, is an unadorned 10-story travertine monolith.[3] President Johnson is buried at his ranch, near Johnson City, Texas, at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. After her death in July 2007, the body of Lady Bird Johnson lay in repose in the Library and Museum, just as her husband's had after his death, 34 years earlier in January 1973.[4]

In 2012, the LBJ Library underwent a multimillion-dollar redesign, during which most of the exhibits were closed. On December 22, the Library reopened to the public. In 2013, the Library began charging admission for the first time since its dedication in 1971.[5] The library's director, Presidential historian Mark K. Updegrove, resigned his position in February 2017.[6] Historian Kyle Longley was named director of the library in June 2018, and assumed duties later that July.[7]

Features

The Library, adjacent to the LBJ School of Public Affairs, occupies a 14-acre (57,000 m²) campus. Although the Library is on the grounds of UT Austin, it is federally run and independent from the University. The top floor of the Library has a 7/8ths scale replica of the Oval Office decorated as it was during Johnson's presidency. Another exhibit features an animatronic LBJ.

The LBJ Library provides year-round public viewing of its permanent historical, cultural, and temporary exhibits to approximately 125,000 visitors each year.[8] It is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year. The Library is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.[9]

Among the artworks on display at the Library and Museum is a photoengraved mural depicting scenes from Johnson's life created by Naomi Savage.[10]

LBJ Liberty & Justice for All Award

The library honors public servants with the "LBJ Liberty & Justice for All Award." The award is given to leaders who demonstrate civility and bipartisanship. Recipients have included President George H. W. Bush, Congressman John Lewis, Congressman John Dingell and Senator Carl Levin.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Facts about the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum". Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Downtown Development and Capitol View Corridors" (PDF). Downtown Austin Commission. June 27, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  3. ↑ http://www.architectmagazine.com/design/buildings/esto-gallery-presidential-libraries_o
  4. ↑ Moritz, John. "Lady Bird Johnson Lies In Repose". The Spokesman. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  5. ↑ Wheeler, Anne. "LBJ Library Opens New Exhibits After Multi Million Dollar Renovation".
  6. ↑ Library, LBJ Presidential. "Mark K. Updegrove to Step Down as LBJ Presidential Library Director – LBJ Presidential Library". www.lbjlibrary.org. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Historian Kyle Longley named Director, LBJ Presidential Library". www.lbjlibrary.org. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Library & Museum". LBJ Presidential Library. Austin, Texas: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Plan Your Visit". LBJ Presidential Library. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  10. ↑ LBJ Presidential Library (November 22, 1963). "Photo-engraving mural wall by Naomi Savage at the LBJ Library – LBJ Presidential Library". Lbjlibrary.org. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  11. ↑ "LBJ Foundation Honors Rep. John Dingell and Sen. Carl Levin with LBJ Liberty & Justice for All Award" (Press release). Austin, Texas: LBJ Presidential Library. November 18, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2014.

Further reading

  • Benjamin Hufbauer, Presidential Temples: How Memorials and Libraries Shape Public Memory (University Press of Kansas, 2005). See ch.3: "Symbolic Power, Democratic Access, and the Imperial Presidency: The Johnson Library."
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