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Behind the Scenes: Conservation at the Texas White House Complex

Aerial view of Texas White House Complex with building names, square footage, and number of artifacts.
Have you ever moved your personal items from one home to another? Imagine moving and protecting historic objects and vehicles from multiple buildings!

1967 aerial view of the Texas White House Complex.

A park employee in protective clothing vacuums a colorful rug.
Cleaning artifacts often requires special equipment. Here a member of the curatorial team wears equipment to protect against allergens as he vacuums a historic rug.

When the Texas White House closed for restoration in August 2018, followed by the historic Hangar's closure in July 2023, the curatorial team at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park was tasked with removing, protecting, and conserving significant items within both buildings. All artifacts and historical architectural features were carefully extracted from these two structures.

To facilitate this process, other buildings in the complex were temporarily modified to accommodate the relocation of thousands of objects. Such a large-scale project necessitated extensive planning and logistical coordination.

A National Park Service employee carefully cleans a framed painting.
A technician gently cleans artwork.
By relocating the artifacts, we can better control environmental conditions—monitoring factors such as temperature, humidity, and light exposure to ensure their preservation. This substantial move and reorganization involved over 40 individuals, including park staff, project managers, interns, and volunteers, spanning more than six years from 2018 to 2024.
Before the Texas White House reopens, it will be restaged to accurately reflect the character of the Johnson family home as it was in the 1960s. Additionally, the historic Hangar will reopen as the park's Visitor Center, featuring a redesigned interior and new interpretive exhibits.
Paper notes in a variety of shapes and sizes are laid out to fit together as if like a puzzle.
Determining how to store artifacts and furniture of various shapes and sizes took careful pre-planning.

Conservation by the Numbers

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Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park

Last updated: August 10, 2025