Details for Texas State Capitol

Historical Marker — Atlas Number 5507014150

Data

Marker Number 14150
Atlas Number 5507014150
Marker Title Texas State Capitol
Index Entry Texas State Capitol
Address 1100 Congress Avenue
City Austin
County Travis
UTM Zone 14
UTM Easting 621104
UTM Northing 3349696
Subject Codes buildings
Marker Year 1965
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Yes
Marker Location Texas State Capitol grounds, near south entrance, NE corner of 11th St. and Congress Ave. 1965 Recorded Texas Historic Landmark as Texas State Capitol, 1976 Official Texas Historical Marker as The Texas Capitol.
Private Property No
Marker Condition In Situ
Marker Size 27" x 42"
Marker Text Austin became the capital of Texas on January 19, 1840, and this hill was platted as Capitol Square. A limestone statehouse built here in the 1850s soon developed structural flaws. The Constitutional Convention of 1876 set aside 3,000,000 acres of public land to finance a new statehouse. Architect E. E. Myers of Detroit won a national competition with his plans for this capitol several months before the 1850s capitol burned on November 9, 1881. The Renaissance Revival style building, three stories tall with a four-story central block, features a dome at the crossing of its major axes. Basement excavations began early in 1882. Railroads built especially for this project hauled limestone from the Oatmanville quarries in Travis County and Texas Sunset Red granite donated by the owners of the Granite Mountain in Burnet County. Crews hoisted the Goddess of Liberty to the top of the dome in February 1888, making the Texas Capitol more than 14 feet taller than the U. S. Capitol. On May 18, 1888, state senator Temple Houston, son of Texas hero Sam Houston, accepted the building on behalf of the people and called it "a structure that shall stand as a sentinel of eternity." The state legislature and other government functions have met in the capitol since its completion. In 1993, the four-story underground Capitol Extension was completed to the north, more than doubling the square footage available to occupants and providing much needed space. A comprehensive interior and exterior renovation during the early 1990s returned the historic structure to its original grandeur while ensuring its functionality for future generations. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965
ATLAS_NUM=5507014150

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