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The Making of the LBJ Presidential Library

In 2021, the LBJ Presidential Library is celebrating our 50th birthday! In honor of this special occasion, we put together some of the best photos and facts from the early planning stages through opening day.

"It is all here: the story of our time–with the bark off...This library does not say, ‘This is how I saw it,’ but, 'This is how the documents show it was.' There is no record of a mistake, nothing critical, ugly, or unpleasant that is not included in the files here. We have papers from my forty years of public service in one place, for friend and foe to judge, to approve or disapprove. I do not know how this period will be regarded in years to come. But that is not the point. This library will show the facts–not just the joy and triumphs, but the sorrow and failures, too.”Remarks by Lyndon B. Johnson at the dedication of the LBJ Library and Museum, May 22, 1971

A student found a quiet place to write on the newly landscaped hillside across from the soon to be opened LBJ Library.April 21, 1971, photo by Frank Wolfe, LBJ Presidential Library

First year graduate student in painting, Maia Snow, studied on the hillside across from the LBJ Library.November 29, 2018, LBJ Library photo by Jay Godwin, LBJ Presidential Library

Planning Begins

The idea for the LBJ Presidential Library was born in 1965, when The University of Texas at Austin offered to donate land and provide the funds to construct President Johnson’s library and establish the LBJ School of Public Affairs on campus. Architect Gordon Bunshaft, who is credited with ushering in a new era of modernism in architecture, was selected to design the building in 1966. Bunshaft, from the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, designed the LBJ Library in association with Texas architect R. Max Brooks.

Architect Gordon Bunshaft presenting his design for the first time to President Johnson on May 12, 1966. He describes the meeting in his oral history.

"The President walked in and he said, ‘Mr. Bunshaft, I only have five minutes.’ God, I ran him back and forth between these two things, and he stayed about 15 minutes. I didn’t ever figure out how he could understand what I was talking about. This is a complex building, if you see it, especially on drawings. I ran him back and forth. That was a Friday. He didn’t say a word [about] whether he liked it or not. He left and Mrs. Johnson said, ‘Well, we’ll have to do a lot of thinking and talking about this.’ Then that was the end of it. Monday, the President called up Heath in Texas and said, ‘I approve the design.’"

May 12, 1966, photo by Yoichi Okamoto, LBJ Presidential Library

Lady Bird Johnson visited other libraries and sites and took on the early planning stages. She hosted numerous meetings at the White House to discuss the designs with Gordon Bunshaft until the final design was complete.May 12, 1966, photo by unknown, LBJ Presidential Library

Construction Starts

The construction of the LBJ Presidential Library and Sid Richardson Hall across the plaza started in the fall of 1967.

The ten-story travertine clad library building stretches 87 feet above the plaza, with eight stories above the plaza and two below. The east and west walls have a base thickness of eight feet, curving gently upward to the underside of the top floor, which overhangs the exterior walls by fifteen feet on each side. The University of Texas reported that the construction cost for the LBJ Library, together with the LBJ School of Public Affairs, was approximately $18 million.

December 30, 1968, photo by Jack Kightlinger, LBJ Presidential Library

September 17, 1971, photo by Frank Wolfe, LBJ Presidential Library

Dedication Ceremony

On May 22, 1971, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library opened its doors to invited guests with a dedication ceremony and luncheon. President Nixon gave a dedicatory address and barbeque was served to 3,000 guests. At the time of the dedication, the LBJ Library was the largest and most expensive presidential library, as well as the first to be built on a college campus.

May 22, 1971, photo by Michael Rusnak, LBJ Presidential Library

Invitation from the collection at the LBJ Presidential Library

May 22, 1971, photo by Frank Wolfe, LBJ Presidential Library

While many of the guests were former staff and advisors, politicians, and civil rights leaders, there was also a mix of celebrities among the invited guests. Dr. Seuss and his wife attended, as well as John H. Johnson, publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines. Former Mexican President Miguel Alemán brought actress Merle Oberon as his guest. Actor Gregory Peck and the famous aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran could also be spotted in the crowd.

There was tight security surrounding the Library on opening day because of protests. Austin American-Statesman/Austin History Center photo #AS-71-77582-A-43c

A large group protested the Vietnam War near the LBJ Library on opening day.Austin American-Statesman/Austin History Center photo #AS-71-77582-A-33c

Open to the Public

The permanent exhibits at the LBJ Library have changed many times since the dedication in 1971, with the most recent redesign taking place in 2012. The 7/8 scale replica of the Oval Office, however, remains the same as it was when the Library opened, and is arranged the same as President Johnson's original Oval Office in the White House.

The Presidential Suite was created when the Library was built as private quarters for the President and Mrs. Johnson to hold meetings, greet distinguished guests, eat lunch, and as a place to take a break while they were at the Library. Mrs. Johnson decorated the Suite and it remains mostly unaltered since 1971, though it is still very much in use. The Suite faces south and has a stunning view of downtown Austin. For a behind the scenes peek, join LBJ Foundation President and CEO Mark Updegrove on a tour of the Presidential Suite.

From the LBJ Collection

Planting plan by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Architects, Oct 22, 1968

How the LBJ Presidential Library Oval Office was added:

Oral history transcript, Gordon Bunshaft, 6/25/1969Architect of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill firm; appointment to Commission on Fine Arts, 1963; Hirshhorn Museum; Johnson's interest in the arts; planning of Johnson Library; day at the Ranch; Truman Library; UT budget decisions; impressions of LBJ and Lady Bird; role of Juanita Roberts; replica of Oval Office; exhibits; Lady Bird's role in planning the Library

Telephone conversation # 13533, LBJ and Gordon Bunshaft, 10/10/1968, 8:57PMLBJ asks if it is possible to build replica of Oval Office in LBJ Library; Popularity of Truman Library's replica; Lady Bird Johnson's views; LBJ says this is the one thing he wants; Impressiveness of Oval Office; Schedule for Library's completion

The LBJ Library dedication ceremony made the headlines, as did some self-identified witches that were there to protest. Below are a few examples of newspaper articles that covered the events.

Austin American-Statesman, May 22, 1971, page A1

Austin American-Statesman, May 22, 1971, page A6

Austin American-Statesman, May 23, 1971, page B1

Bonus Material

Playlist

Hits From May 1971LBJ Presidential Library · Playlist · 15 songs · 0 likes

Links

Tour of the Presidential Suite with Mark Updegrove (C-SPAN)
Lady Bird Johnson: The Mastermind Behind the LBJ Presidential Library (NARA)
Texas Society of Architects Honors SOM's Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library with 25-Year Award (SOM)
Spotlight: Gordon Bunshaft (ArchDaily)
The L. B. J. Library: The Life and Times Of Lyndon Johnson in Eight Full Stories (NY Times, 10/17/1971)
LBJ Library and Museum Construction (Texas Archive of Moving Image)

All photographs from the LBJ Library collections are public domainCover photo from March 15, 1971, by Frank Wolfe, LBJ Presidential Library

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