Located in downtown Austin, Texas is the Texas State Capitol where the offices, chambers of the Texas Legislature are nestled. Designed in 1881 it was constructed from 1882 to 1888 under the direction of civil engineer Reuben Lindsay Walker. The building has been registered at the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and have been recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
Texas State Capitol is 302.64 feet tall making it the sixth tallest state capitol and also one of the several taller than the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It was ranked 92nd in 2007 as America’s favorite architectural structure.
The current Texas State Capitol is the third building to serve that purpose. The first was a wooden structure that had served as the national capital of the Texas Republic and continued as the seat of government upon Texas’ admission to the Union. The second Texas capitol was built in 1853, on the same site as the present capitol in Austin; it was destroyed by fire in 1881, but plans had already been made to replace it with a new, much larger structure.
The Building
Construction of the Italian Renaissance Revival–style capitol was funded by an article of the state constitution, adopted on February 15, 1876, which authorized the sale of public lands for the purpose. In one of the largest barter transactions of recorded history, the builders of the capitol. On February 6, 1983, a fire began in the apartment of William P. Hobby Jr., then the state lieutenant governor. A guest of Hobby’s was killed, and four firemen and a policeman were injured by the subsequent blaze. The capitol was crowded with accumulated archives, and the fire was intense and came dangerously close to destroying the structure. It caused severe damage to the east wing and compromised much of the framing, which was largely composed of exposed cast iron posts and beams. Bed Bug Exterminator Austin
Following the fire, the state took advantage of the extensive rebuilding to update the mechanical and structural systems to modern standards. In November 1985, the original Goddess of Liberty statue on top of the dome was removed by helicopter.
Public Art and Museums
The central rotunda is hung with portraits of all the past presidents of the Republic of Texas and governors of the State of Texas; the rotunda is also a whispering gallery. The south foyer features a large portrait of David Crockett, a painting depicting the surrender of General Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto, and sculptures of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin made by Elisabet Ney.
Address: 1100 Congress Ave, Austin, TX
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