Texas Governor's Mansion

Last updated

Texas Governor's Mansion
Texas governors mansion.jpg
The Texas Governor's Mansion in 2006.
USA Texas location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Texas Governor's Mansion
Interactive map showing the location of Texas Governors' Mansion
Location1010 Colorado St., Austin, Texas, USA
Coordinates 30°16′21.72″N97°44′34.79″W / 30.2727000°N 97.7429972°W / 30.2727000; -97.7429972
Built1854
ArchitectAbner Cook
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No. 70000896
TSAL No. 613
RTHL No. 13932
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 25, 1970 [1]
Designated NHLDecember 2, 1974 [2]
Designated TSALMay 28, 1981
Designated RTHL1962

The Texas Governor's Mansion is a historic home for the governor of Texas in downtown Austin, Texas. Designed by prominent architect Abner Cook, it was built in 1854 and has been the home of every governor since 1856. Governor Greg Abbott and First Lady Cecilia Phalen Abbott are the current residents.

Contents

On June 8, 2008, while midway through a major renovation, the mansion was badly damaged by an arson fire. [3]

History

The mansion is the oldest continuously inhabited house in Texas and fourth oldest governor's mansion in the United States that has been continuously occupied by a chief executive. The mansion was the first-designated Texas historic landmark, in 1962. [4] It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as "Governor's Mansion" in 1970, and further was declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1974.

Original architecture

Built by Abner Cook in a Greek Revival style and completed in 1856, the building occupies the center of a block and is surrounded by trees and gardens. The original mansion was 6,000 square feet (560 m2). Remodeling in 1914 increased the size of the mansion to 8,920 square feet (829 m2). The original mansion had 11 rooms but no bathrooms. The remodeling brought the room count to 25 rooms and seven bathrooms. [5] In 1931, at the recommendation of former Texas First Lady Mildred Paxton Moody, the Texas Legislature established the Board of Mansion Supervisors to oversee all interior and exterior upkeep and enhancements to the mansion. The Board was abolished in 1965, and its responsibilities transferred to the Texas Commission on the Arts. [6]

2008 fire

The mansion was partially destroyed by a four-alarm fire during the early morning of June 8, 2008, caused by a Molotov cocktail. [7] Then-Governor Rick Perry and his wife Anita Thigpen Perry were in Europe at the time of the fire. They had relocated in October 2007 for a $10 million major deferred maintenance project that began in January 2008. The project was to include a fire suppression system. State Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado said the next Sunday that investigators had evidence that an arsonist targeted the 152-year-old building. [3]

On February 17, 2011, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw announced that two persons of interest had been identified as the arsonists. [8] [9] However, ultimately no one was charged with a crime resulting from the fire. According to Travis County Assistant District Attorney Gregg Cox, who led the arson investigation, the ten-year statute of limitations on felony arson in Texas has since expired, saying "chances are, they got away with it." [7]

In May 2009, $22 million was allocated to the restoration of the Governor's Mansion, $11 million of which came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. An additional $3.4 million was raised through private fund raising. The restoration was completed in 2012. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas State Capitol</span> State capitol of the U.S. state of Texas

The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers, it was constructed from 1882 to 1888 under the direction of civil engineer Reuben Lindsay Walker. A $75 million underground extension was completed in 1993. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hall of State</span> United States historic place

The Hall of State is a building in Dallas's Fair Park that commemorates the history of the U.S. state of Texas and is considered one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in the state. It was designed and built for the Texas Centennial Exposition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leland Stanford Mansion</span> Historic house in California, United States

The Leland Stanford Mansion, often known simply as the Stanford Mansion, is a historic mansion and California State Park in Sacramento, California, which serves as the official reception center for the Californian government and as one of the official workplaces of the Governor of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Executive Mansion (Virginia)</span> Historic house in Virginia, United States

The Virginia Governor's Mansion, better known as the Executive Mansion, is located in Richmond, Virginia, on Capitol Square and serves as the official residence of the governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Designed by Alexander Parris, it is the oldest occupied governor's mansion in the United States. It has served as the home of Virginia governors and their families since 1813. This mansion is both a Virginia and a National Historic Landmark and has had a number of renovations and expansions during the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Historical Commission</span> Agency of the State of Texas, United States

The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the U.S. state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driskill Hotel</span> United States historic place

The Driskill, a Romanesque-style building completed in 1886, is the oldest operating hotel in Austin, Texas, United States, and one of the best-known hotels in Texas generally. The Driskill was conceived and built by Col. Jesse Driskill, a cattleman who spent his fortune constructing "the finest hotel south of St. Louis".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop's Palace (Galveston, Texas)</span> Historic house in Texas, United States

The Bishop's Palace, also known as Gresham's Castle, is an ornate 19,082 square feet (1,772.8 m2) Victorian-style house, located on Broadway and 14th Street in the East End Historic District of Galveston, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodlawn (Austin, Texas)</span> Historic house in Texas, United States

Woodlawn, also known as the Pease Mansion as well as Governor Shivers’ Mansion, is a pre-Civil War mansion located at 30.2871° -97.7581° in Austin, Texas. The Greek Revival style house was owned by two Texas governors. Some notable people that have visited the mansion include Sam Houston, General George Custer, Elisabet Ney, Will Rogers, and Edith Head. Woodlawn was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1970. Although the house faces Pease Rd, it has two separate entrances. One entrance is off Niles Rd and the other is off of Northumberland Rd, which is where the mailbox is located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old West Austin Historic District</span> Historic district in Texas, United States

The Old West Austin Historic District is a residential community in Austin, Texas, United States. It is composed of three neighborhoods located on a plateau just west of downtown Austin: Old Enfield, Pemberton Heights, and Bryker Woods. Developed between 1886 and 1953, the three historic neighborhoods stretch from Mopac Expressway east to Lamar Boulevard, and from 13th Street north to 35th Street. It borders Clarksville Historic District and the West Line Historic District to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulton Mansion Historical Site</span> Historic house in Texas, United States

The Fulton Mansion State Historic Site is located in Fulton on the Texas Gulf Coast, in the county of Aransas, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is one of the earliest Second Empire style buildings constructed in Texas and is one of the most important of the style in the Southwest United States still in existence. Colonel George Ware Fulton and Harriet Gillette Smith began building the 4 story structure overlooking Aransas Bay in 1874 and finished in 1877. The residence, dubbed "Oakhurst" by its owners George & Harriet, featured the most up-to-date conveniences for the time, such as indoor plumbing reaching sinks in every bedroom, gas lighting and central heating, along with three bathrooms and two built-in copper tubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah Governor's Mansion</span> Historic building in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.

The Utah Governor's Mansion is the official residence of the governor of Utah and family. It is located at 603 East South Temple Street in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secretary of State of Texas</span> Member of the executive department of the state of Texas

The secretary of state of Texas is one of the six members of the executive department of the State of Texas in the United States. Under the Constitution of Texas, the appointment is made by the governor of Texas, with confirmation by the Texas Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Austin</span> Neighborhood in Austin, Texas

Downtown Austin is the central business district of Austin, Texas, United States. The area of the district is bound by Lamar Boulevard to the west, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the north, Interstate 35 to the east, and Lady Bird Lake to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mason County Courthouse (Texas)</span> United States historic place

The Mason County Courthouse is an historic courthouse building located in Mason, Texas. Built in 1909 to 1910 at a cost of $39,786, it was designed by Georgia-born American architect Edward Columbus Hosford, who is noted for the courthouses and other buildings that he designed in Florida, Georgia and Texas. Mutual Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky built it of Fredericksburg granite and rusticated stone. There are gable front porticoes on all four sides, each or which is supported by four 2-story Doric columns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Breakers</span> United States historic place

The Hotel Breakers, opened in 1905, is a large historic Lake Erie resort hotel located at 1 Cedar Point Drive in the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Travis County, Texas</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Travis County, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O. Henry Hall</span> United States historic place

O. Henry Hall, formerly known as the U.S. Post Office and Federal Building, is a historic courthouse and post office in Austin, Texas. It is located within the Sixth Street Historic District in Downtown Austin. O. Henry Hall serves as the administrative headquarters of the Texas State University System (TSUS), and until 2017 served as the University of Texas System headquarters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judge Sebron G. Sneed House</span> Homestead in Texas, United States

The Judge Sebron G. Sneed House is a historic former limestone plantation house in Austin, Texas, commissioned by Judge Sebron Graham Sneed. It was likely designed by architect and general contractor, Abner Hugh Cook, co-owner of the sawmill where Sneed had purchased lumber for the construction of the house. Cook is most notable for designing the Texas Governor's Mansion in Austin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Sixth Street Bridge</span> Historic bridge in Austin, Texas

The West Sixth Street Bridge is a historic stone arch bridge in downtown Austin, Texas. Built in 1887, the bridge is one of the state's oldest masonry arch bridges. It is located at the site of the first bridge in Austin, carrying Sixth Street across Shoal Creek to link the western and central parts of the old city. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

References

Citations

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "Governor's Mansion (Austin)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
  3. 1 2 December 2008 0, Pamela Colloff (December 1, 2008). "The Unusual Suspects". Texas Monthly. Retrieved May 26, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. Chambers, Allen (August 14, 1974). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: The Governor's Mansion" (pdf). National Park Service.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying three photos, exterior and interior, from 1966 and 1975  (32 KB)
  5. "Texas Governor's Mansion History". www.tiki-toki.com. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  6. "TSHA | Board of Mansion Supervisors". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Garcia-Buckalew, Bob (September 26, 2019). "Who set fire to the Texas Governor's Mansion? The 11-year-old mystery still baffles investigators". KVUE-TV Austin. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  8. Kreytak, Steven. "DPS: Anarchists linked to arson at Governor's Mansion". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  9. Ramshaw, Emily (September 10, 2008). "Texas Governor's Mansion fire probe turns to Austin men arrested at Republican convention". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on September 11, 2008. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  10. "Texas Governor's Mansion Restoration". gov.texas.gov. Retrieved May 26, 2022.

Sources