Austin Texas Capitol - A Historic Structure
Austin, the capital of Texas, is a historic city. The Capitol building in this historic city is one of its most important landmarks.
Built in 1882, the Capitol building is one of Greater Austin, Texas' oldest landmarks. The structure has many stories to tell about the growth of Texas over the years. It was originally designed by Elijah E. Myers who had designed 5 other state capitols before this one. This building has been added onto since it was first constructed and today visitors can see museums, art galleries, and even watch the legislature work.
The building has grown over the years with many additions to it being made. One of the most successful additions is a granite statue called The Columns which was donated by Miss Ima Hogg in 1906. This gives Austin one of its nicknames: "City of The Columns".
The Capitol building was built by the red granite rocks found locally at Granite Mountain. The structure was built for $3,744,353 . Today, tour guides can give their visitors information about the construction of this unique landmark.
The Capitol is open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Visitors are encouraged to check the website for weekend tours. There are also group tours available during the off hours.
The Capitol is part of Austin's slogan "Keep Austin Weird" which reflects the culture of this historic city. This has made it very popular with tourists to visit for fun and education.
History of the Texas Capitol
The state of Texas needed a Capitol building but did not have enough money to build it. This led to the creation of the "Hall County Seat War" in which Amarillo, Wichita Falls, and McKinney were trying to win the distinction of becoming the new state capital.
Johnson City (now called Johnson City, Texas) won this war when Governor Oran Roberts laid the cornerstone of the Texas Capitol. The newspapers at the time put out sensationalist headlines that read, "Amarillo has been killed in one blow!" and "Wichita Falls is paralyzed with fright".
The building took five years to construct and was made by granite rocks found locally at Granite Mountain. The building was originally designed by Elijah E. Myers who had designed other state capitols before this one.
The Capitol building took three years to complete. The original design for the Capitol building included a dome but that was not approved by the Texas Legislature. This is why it has only five columns instead of the originally planned six columns.
