Texas State Capitol in Austin
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This capitol is the fourth building to house the state government of Texas. Originally designed in 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers, it was constructed from 1882 to 1888 under the direction of civil engineer Reuben Lindsay Walker. The building has been renovated several times, with central air conditioning installed in 1955. A $75 million underground extension was completed in 1993. Located four blocks south of the University of Texas at Austin, the Texas Capitol building is surrounded by 22 acres of grounds and 17 monuments.
Construction of the Italian Renaissance Revival-style capitol was funded by an article of the state constitution, adopted on February 15, 1876, which authorized the sale of public lands for the purpose. In one of the largest barter transactions of recorded history. The builders of the capitol, known as the Capitol Syndicate, were paid with more than three-million acres of public land in the "Panhandle" region of Texas. This tract later became the largest cattle ranch in the world. The building was constructed largely by convicts or migrant workers, as many as a thousand at a time.
The capitol rotunda features portraits of every person who has served as president of the Republic of Texas or governor of the State of Texas. The south foyer features a large portrait of David Crockett, a painting depicting the surrender of General Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto, and sculptures of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin made by Elisabeth Ney. The rotunda is also a whispering gallery. The capitol has 360,000 square feet of floor space, more than any other state capitol building, and is on 2.25 acres of land. The building has nearly four hundred rooms and more than nine hundred windows.
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