Texas State Capitol

Fourth capitol

The present capitol is the fourth in Austin, after a fire in 1881

The current Texas State Capitol is the fourth building to serve that purpose in Austin. The first was a two-room wooden structure. The second, built of limestone in 1853, was destroyed by fire in 1881. The present building was designed in 1881 by Elijah E. Myers and constructed from 1882 to 1888.

302.64 feettall, making it the sixth-tallest state capitol

The payment

The builders were paid with more than three million acres of Texas Panhandle

In one of the largest barter transactions of recorded history, the builders, known as the Capitol Syndicate, were paid with more than three million acres of public land in the Texas Panhandle. The tract later became the largest cattle ranch in the world, the XIT Ranch.

The stone

Pink granite replaced limestone after the limestone rusted

The designers planned limestone, but its high iron content led it to discolor with rust stains. The owners of Granite Mountain offered to donate sunset red granite, also called pink. The project's 900 workers included 86 granite cutters brought from Scotland.

Dedication

The dedication in 1888 drew nearly 20,000 visitors over a weeklong celebration

The cornerstone was laid on March 2, 1885, Texas Independence Day. The building was dedicated on May 18, 1888, by Temple Houston, with a weeklong celebration that attracted nearly 20,000 visitors, with cattle roping, baseball games, German choral singing and fireworks.

Views

A law of 1983 protects 30 views of the capitol

In 1931 the City of Austin limited new buildings to 200 feet, to preserve the visual preeminence of the capitol. After taller towers followed, a bill signed into law on May 3, 1983 defined 30 state-protected viewing corridors, prohibiting any construction that would intersect one of them.