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The Texas State Capitol is a beautiful government building in Austin, Texas. It’s the seat of government for the State of Texas. This entry covers the history and architecture of the building as well as the grounds.
History
The Texas State Capitol is the third building to serve that purpose. The first was a small wooden structure that served as the capitol for the Republic of Texas and continued as the state capitol upon Texas’ admission to the union in 1846. The second was built in 1853 on the same site as the present capitol but destroyed by fire in 1881.
Architecture
The statehouse was designed by Elijah E. Myers (1832-1909) and built between 1882 and 1888. It’s the largest state capitol building in the US with 360,000 square feet of floor space. There are almost 400 rooms and over 900 windows.
The Texas State Capitol has a four-story central block topped by a dome, with symmetrical three-story wings to the east and west. It was built in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and is covered in Texas red granite. It was modeled on the US Capitol in Washington, DC. The building was named a National Historic Landmark on June 23, 1986.
In 1993, a massive four-story underground extension of the building was completed. It added 667,000 square feet to the original statehouse but is completely unnoticeable from ground level.
Grounds
The Texas State Capitol sits on 22 acres of land. Over 20 monuments are scattered throughout the grounds. The four oldest monuments sit along the Great Walk, which is a wide tree-lined path.
Heroes of the Alamo Monument
The oldest monument is the Heroes of the Alamo Monument, which was erected in 1891. It was designed by J.S. Clark and sculpted by Crohl Smith. The monument commemorates those who fought and died defending the Alamo in San Antonio in 1836. The base is made of Texas Sunset Red Granite and is topped by a bronze statue of a Texan carrying a rifle. The names of 90 of the 189 defenders are inscribed on the base, while 47 other names listed were not recognized as having took part in the battle.
Confederate Soldiers Monument
The Confederate Soldiers Monument was the third monument erected on the statehouse grounds, unveiled in 1903. The base was designed by Frank Teich (1856-1939) and the statue Pompeo Coppini (1870-1957). The statue was cast by Roman Bronze Works of New York City.
The monument is topped by a statue of Confederate president Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) flanked by soldiers representing the four branches of the Confederate Army (Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, and Navy). Davis stands on a pedestal listing the 13 states that withdrew from the Union, 11 of which joined the Confederacy.
The front section of the base contains a panel with an inscription while the other three sides list important battles taking place during the Civil War. The inscription reads:
DIED
FOR STATES RIGHTS
GUARANTEED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION
THE PEOPLE OF THE SOUTH, ANIMATED BY THE SPIRIT OF 1776, TO PRESERVE THEIR RIGHTS,
WITHDREW FROM THE FEDERAL COMPACT IN 1861. THE NORTH RESORTED TO COERCION.
THE SOUTH, AGAINST OVERWHELMING NUMBERS AND RESOURCES,
FOUGHT UNTIL EXHAUSTED,
DURING THE WAR THERE WERE TWENTY TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY SEVEN ENGAGEMENTS;
IN EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND EIGHTY TWO OF THESE, AT LEAST ONE REGIMENT TOOK PART.
NUMBER OF MEN ENLISTED:
CONFEDERATE ARMIES 600,000; FEDERAL ARMIES 2,859,132
LOSSES FROM ALL CAUSES
CONFEDERATE, 437,000; FEDERAL, 485,216
