Making History

LBJ Presidential Library unveils new innovative exhibits and $10 million inrenovations

The LBJ Library
Photo by Shelley Seale
President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Photo by Arnold Newman
The newly renovated LBJ library interior.
Photo by Shelley Seale
The newly renovated LBJ Library interior.
Photo by Shelley Seale
Close up portrait of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Photo by Yoichi Okamoto

The state's beloved LBJ Presidential Library has had a major facelift, with a multi-million dollar renovation. Construction began on the renovation in December 2011, and the Library reopens on Saturday in honor of the late Lady Bird Johnson’s 100th birthday.

Innovative, state-of-the art exhibits will give visitors a contemporary experience related to one of the most significant presidents and eras in our country's history by incorporating the latest technology and interactive elements used in museums today.

In keeping with President and Mrs. Johnson's commitment to transparency and objectivity, the new exhibits will showcase materials from the archives and museum collections that have never before been seen.

Guests can listen to recorded phone conversations between LBJ and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jacqueline Kennedy, his advisors and many others.

To ensure accuracy, independent interpretation and impartiality in the redesign of the exhibits, the LBJ Library consulted with, and sought the participation of, esteemed historians, as well as many of those who worked in the Johnson Administration.

"Through these new exhibits, the political and personal lives of Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson come alive for visitors," said Elizabeth Christian, president of the LBJ Foundation. "They will learn about the decisions President Johnson faced, the impact of his social programs, and his passion for critical issues such as education, civil rights, the environment, health care and the arts."

"The redesigned Library will provide meaningful context to the vast and sweeping legislation passed during the Johnson Administration and visitors will learn how those laws impact us today," said Mark K. Updegrove, director of LBJ Library. The goal is for visitors to better understand this largely misunderstood president, he explained.

New features of the LBJ Presidential Library include:

A downloadable app and handheld guide that give visitors the choice of several different tours, including a tour in Spanish
Unprecedented access to private telephone conversations of the President
An interactive Vietnam War exhibit where visitors experience elements of the President’s decision-making process
Options to join the conversation through social media as visitors tour exhibits
An interactive look at how legislation passed under LBJ affects visitors today
New theaters and films on President Johnson, civil rights, LBJ’s legacy, and the First Family

The new exhibit space is divided into different eras of LBJ's career, from the early years and the Kennedy assassination through civil rights, poverty, the Vietnam era and his lasting legacy. Guests are introduced to each era with a timeline of pop culture and historical events from those years. Each section contains interactive exhibits, including phones where guests can listen to recorded phone conversations between LBJ and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jacqueline Kennedy, his advisors and many others.

"This is cool," Updegrove said. "You can pick up the phone and hear his own voice, surrounded by what was going on at the time. The exhibits give a sense of the challenges he faced early, and the ascendance of his political career. You can really feel the zeitgeist."

"We're giving people a clear sense of the impact this President had."

The redesign offers visitors a rich cultural and historical destination, meant to make the achievements of the Great Society accessible, and understandable, to everyone.

"We're giving people a clear sense of the impact this President had," Updegrove continued. "We want people to have a balanced view of the LBJ Presidency, to understand even if they don't agree, and make up their minds for themselves."

Situated on a 30-acre site on The University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas, the Library houses 45 million pages of historical documents, 650,000 photos and 5,000 hours of recordings from President Johnson's political career. The iconic ten-story building was designed by award-winning architect Gordon Bunshaft and features a Great Hall with a stunning four-story, glass-encased view of the archives collection.

Until now, the LBJ Library has been the only one of the thirteen presidential libraries that has not charged admission. To sustain this vibrant, evolving institution, the LBJ Library will charge admission for the first time in its 41-year history when the new exhibits open in December, a decision supported by the Johnson family and made after thoughtful consideration by the LBJ Foundation Board.

"It is all here: the story of our time with the bark off," Lyndon Baines Johnson said at the dedication of the Library on May 22, 1971. "This library will show the facts, not just the joy and triumphs, but the sorrow and failures, too."

The LBJ Library reopens on Dec. 22, with music, cake, book signings and tours, free and open to the public. Doors open at 9 a.m., and festivities are scheduled until 5 p.m. Regular operating hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; closed Christmas Day.

Admission fees are $8 for adults; $5 for seniors 62 and older; $3 for children 13-17 and university students with valid ID. Admission is free for children 12 and under; active military; University of Texas at Austin students, faculty and administrators; and certain LBJ library and student groups.

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Now hear this

New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

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