The Texas State
Capitol Building
The State Capitol Building can be found
in Austin, Texas. It is the seat of the
Texas government.
The building is home to the office of the
governor of Texas and to the chambers of the
Texas state legislature. In 1970, the State
Capitol Building was listed in the National
Register of Historic Places. In 1986, it was
recognized as one of the country’s National
Historic landmarks.
The original design for the building was
made in 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers.
Myers was fires in 1886, and was replaced by
civil engineer Lindsay Walker who oversaw
the construction from 1882 to 1888. In 1993,
an underground extension costing US$75
million was completed.
A lot of people think that the State Capitol
Building is the tallest in America. However,
the Louisiana State Capitol building and the
Illinois State Capitol are both taller.
However, it is the largest in terms of
square footage.
The construction of the capitol, which
designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival
style of architecture, was funded through an
article adopted in February 15, 1876 in the
state constitution. The article authorizes
the sale of public lands for the purpose of
funding the State Capitol Building.
The builders responsible for the capitol
were paid with more than three million acres
of public land from the government of Texas.
This is one of the largest barter
arrangements recorded in American history.
The enormous tract of land became the
world’s largest cattle ranch known as the
XIT Ranch.
|