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Contact: Dave Schafer, 830-868-7128 x 235 STONEWALL, TEXAS –Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park has announced that President and Mrs. Johnson's "Texas White House" on the LBJ Ranch will be closed for public tours for two weeks due to a major project that will upgrade the home's electrical system. Beginning on Monday, January 18 and ending by February 1, 2016, the home will be closed to the public. During this closure, electric power will be turned off while new electric panels are installed. Each day while the home is closed, park rangers and volunteers will provide free guided tours of the Texas White House complex, including the front yard—an area not usually accessible to the public. For details on this and other interpretive programs each day, inquire at the LBJ Ranch hangar visitor center at 830-644-2396. This winter the National Park Service is addressing two critical historic preservation projects at the Texas White House: an electrical upgrade and window replacement. The electrical work will address the various remodeling projects and changes made to the house over the years by Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson. Now maintained as an historic site, much of the Texas White House's wiring is no longer necessary and could pose a potential fire hazard. The overall project and re-wiring process will take several months to complete. A second major preservation initiative the park is completing includes re-glazing, refinishing, and painting windows. In addition, the windows in the house are being refitted with new seals to reduce the heating and cooling costs of the home's sprawling 8,400 square feet. Replacement windows will maintain the same historic look as the original windows. All other park facilities will be open to the public in January. These include the Johnson settlement, President Johnson's boyhood home, and the park visitor center in Johnson City. The LBJ Ranch driving tour will be unaffected and the LBJ Ranch hangar visitor center will be open as normal. The hangar visitor center features exhibits, artifacts, an award-winning 14-minute film, and a Western National Parks Association sales outlet. Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park is open seven days a week from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. For more information on park activities call 830-868-7128, ext. 231 or 244, and visit www.nps.gov/lyjo and www.facebook.com/LBJohnsonNPS. The park will be closed on December 25 and January 1. About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 409 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice. The National Park Service is celebrating its centennial year in 2016. Find out more at http://findyourpark.com. |
Last updated: February 9, 2016