The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the American 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.
Pompeo Luigi Coppini was an Italian born sculptor who emigrated to the United States. Although his works can be found in Italy, Mexico and a number of U.S. states, the majority of his work can be found in Texas. He is particularly famous for the Alamo Plaza work Spirit of Sacrifice a.k.a. The Alamo Cenotaph, as well as numerous statues honoring Texan figures.
The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument, is a memorial designed by New Mexico artist Duke Sundt, installed on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, United States. It serves as a tribute to all Texans who served in the Vietnam War and a memorial to the 3,417 who died. Ground was broken on March 25, 2013 on the northeast side of the Capitol. The monument was dedicated on March 29, 2014.
Since the 1960s, many municipalities in the United States have removed monuments and memorials on public property dedicated to the Confederate States of America, and some, such as Silent Sam in North Carolina, have been torn down by protestors. The momentum to remove Confederate memorials increased dramatically following high-profile incidents including the Charleston church shooting (2015), the Unite the Right rally (2017), and the murder of George Floyd (2020). The removals have been driven by historical analysis that the monuments express and re-enforce white supremacy; memorialize an unrecognized, treasonous government, the Confederacy, whose founding principle was the perpetuation and expansion of slavery; and that the presence of these Confederate memorials over a hundred years after the defeat of the Confederacy continues to disenfranchise and alienate African Americans.
The Disabled American Veterans of Texas Monument is an outdoor memorial commemorating Texan veterans who were disabled while serving in the United States military services, installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, in 1980. The monument's base is made from Texas Sunset Red Granite, and features inscriptions and the bronze seal of the Disabled American Veterans.
The Heroes of the Alamo Monument is an outdoor memorial commemorating those who fought and died during the Battle of the Alamo, installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds, in Austin, Texas, United States. It was designed by J.S. Clark, sculpted by Crohl Smith, and erected in 1891. The monument features a Texas Sunset Red Granite base topped by a bronze statue of a Texan carrying a muzzle-loading rifle. Among the names inscribed in the base's supports are James Bowie, David Crockett, and William B. Travis.
The Hood's Texas Brigade Monument is an outdoor memorial commemorating members of John Bell Hood's Texas Brigade of the Confederate Army installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The monument was sculptured by Pompeo Coppini and erected in 1910. It is topped by a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier.
The Pearl Harbor Monument is a memorial commemorating Texans enrolled in the military during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The Texas Sunset Red Granite and marble monument was designed by Scott Field and erected by the Pearl Harbor Survivors of Texas in 1989. It features inscriptions and the bronze seal of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.
The Tejano Monument is a memorial commemorating the impact of Tejanos on Texas culture and history, installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The monument was sculpted by Armando Hinojosa and erected by Tejano Monument, Inc. in 2012. It features nine life-size bronze statues on a 275-ton Texas Sunset Red Granite base, and five plaques describing Tejano history.
The Ten Commandments Monument is installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The Texas Sunset Red Granite artwork was designed by an unknown artist and erected by the Fraternal Order of Eagles of Texas in 1961. It was the subject of litigation in the Supreme Court case Van Orden v. Perry (2005).
Terry's Texas Rangers Monument is an outdoor memorial commemorating Terry's Texas Rangers, a regiment of the Confederate Army installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The monument was designed by Pompeo Coppini and erected in 1907.
The Texas Cowboy Monument is an outdoor memorial commemorating Texas' cowboys, installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The monument was sculpted by Constance Whitney Warren and erected in 1925. It features a bronze statue of a cowboy on a rearing horse atop a concrete base.
The Texas African American History Memorial is an outdoor monument commemorating the impact of African Americans in Texas, installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The memorial was sculpted by Ed Dwight and erected by the Texas African American History Memorial Foundation in 2016. It describes African American history from the 1500s to present, and includes depictions of Hendrick Arnold and Barbara Jordan, as well as Juneteenth, when African Americans were emancipated.
The Texas Peace Officers' Memorial is an outdoor monument commemorating law enforcement and corrections officers who died in service since August 5, 1823, installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The memorial was designed by Linda Johnson and erected by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and Texas State Preservation Board in 1999. It features a granite obelisk on a base with a Texas Lone Star, as well as inscribed names along granite walls of those who died since Stephen F. Austin commissioned the Texas Peace Officers, or the Texas Ranger Division.
The Texas Pioneer Woman Monument is an outdoor memorial commemorating the pioneer women of Texas, installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The monument was sculpted by Linda Sioux Henley and erected by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, District VIII, in 1998. It features a bronze statue of a pioneer mother and her baby on a Texas Sunset Red Granite pedestal.
The Volunteer Firemen Monument is an outdoor memorial commemorating Texan volunteer firefighters who died while in service, installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. It was erected by the State Firemen's Association of Texas in 1896, and modified in 1905. The monument features a bronze sculpture of a fireman carrying a child in his left arm and a lantern in his opposite, designed by J. Segesman. The statue rests on a granite base designed by Frank Teich, which has a ring of granite pillars with inscribed names of volunteers. According to the Texas State Preservation Board, the memorial has "historical omissions and errors", which have been kept.
The Statue of Liberty Replica Monument is an outdoor replica of the Statue of Liberty, installed on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, United States. The bronze replica was cast by the Friedley-Voshardt Company and erected by the Boy Scouts of America in 1951.
