News Release

Andrew Johnson National Historic Site Visitor Center to Close for Renovations

Date: August 21, 2025
Contact: Shawn Gillette, 423-639-3711 x2

GREENEVILLE, TN. Beginning Saturday, August 23, the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site Visitor Center, 101 N. College Street, will close for renovation work. The work will include two phases. Phase One will see needed internal structural changes to the 1950’s building. Phase Two will see a new HVAC system installed. Both phases will be conducted back-to-back and are expected to extend into early 2026.

During this time, the functions of the park visitor center will be relocated temporarily to the Memorial Building, an adjacent structure, which houses the original Andrew Johnson Tailor Shop (also located at 101 N. College Street). “Some functions of the visitor center will not be available in the short-term,” states Park Superintendent Aaron Shandor. “For instance, we will be unable to show the park film; however, both park museums, Tailor Shop, and restroom facilities will continue to be open and accessible for public use throughout the renovation and replacement process.”

The temporary visitor contact station inside the Memorial Building will include an area where park rangers can provide welcome and orientation information. Additionally, there will be a satellite park store and an area where visitors can get their NPS Passports stamped. “Our goal is to minimize disruptions to our daily visitor services,” says Shandor, adding, “The renovation work will not impact access to the historic Andrew Johnson Homestead. Guided tours of this popular historic site will continue.”

The first phase of the renovation work will focus on improvements to the 1950’s-era visitor center. Following its completion, work will switch to the Memorial Building for the installation of the new HVAC system that will service the visitor center. “The transition of renovation phases will necessitate the transition of the visitor contact station from the Memorial Building, back into the original visitor center building. We hope to accomplish this transition with as minimal a disruption of visitor services as possible.”

The renovation project is expected to take approximately six months to complete, with the goal achieving a safer and more efficient building for both staff and visitors alike. The renovation work will begin in late August commensurate with the transition from the busy summer months to the slower fall season. During the renovation period, the park is expected to maintain its daily operations schedule through November and transition to its winter operations schedule in the first week of December.