Texas State Capitol

Texas State Capitol
At the time of its construction, the capitol building was billed as "The Seventh Largest Building in the World."
Location	Austin, Texas, USA
Built	1885
Added to NRHP	June 22, 1970

The Texas State Capitol, located in Austin, Texas, is the fourth building to serve as the seat of Texas government. Originally designed by Elijah E. Myers, it was constructed from 1882–88 under the direction of civil engineer Lindsay Walker, and a $75 million underground extension was completed in 1993. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

History

Construction of the capitol building was funded through an article in the state constitution, adopted February 15, 1876, which authorized the sale of public lands for the purpose. The builders of the capitol were paid with three million acres (12,000 km²) of land in the Texas panhandle; this tract later became the XIT Ranch. The value of the land, combined with out-of-pocket expenses, added to a total cost of $3.7 million for the original building. It was largely constructed by convicts or migrant workers, up to 1,000 at a time. The building has been renovated many times, with central air conditioning installed in 1955 and the most recent refurbishments completed in 1997.

The cornerstone for the building was laid on March 2, 1885. The original plan for the capitol called for it to be constructed from limestone quarried within the state; however there was some concern that the available limestone would be of variable quality. Hearing of the problem, the owners of Granite Mountain near Marble Falls offered to donate to the state free of charge the necessary amount of pink granite as an alternative. This stone was subsequently used on the majority of state government buildings in the downtown Austin area, and was called "Texas Pink Granite" until very recently, when those marketing the stone changed the name to "sunset red."

Within the rotunda hang the portraits of every Texas Governor, and the lobby features sculptures by Elisabet Ney of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin. The rotunda also acts as a whispering gallery. The capitol has more floor space than any other state capitol building, and is almost 15 feet (5 m) higher than the National Capitol.

Controversy over religious display

A granite monument of the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol was at the center of a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court case, Van Orden v. Perry, in which the display was challenged as unconstitutional. In late June 2005, the Court ruled that the display was not unconstitutional.

Gallery

• 
  The Capitol Building illuminated at night
• 
  Interior rotunda is illuminated by skylights
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  A display of the six flags of Texas as a floor in the Capitol Annex
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  The Ten Commandments display
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  Goddess of Liberty statue atop the building
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  Picture of the capitol dome

External links

• Texas State Preservation Board - Maintainers of the Capitol
• Capitol Dedication Ceremony - Excerpts from Senator Temple Houston’s acceptance (of the capitol building) speech May 16, 1888TexasBob.com
• Capitol from the Handbook of Texas Online