State of Texas Capitol

— So, this entry goes in the column of neglected features: the State of Texas Capitol building. As long as I have lived in Austin, the state’s capital, and photographed this iconic building, I had never featured it here. Well, that oversight is now addressed.

The official dedication of the Capitol took place on May 16, 1888. On the official Capitol website, the ceremony is described in these words by Senator Temple Houston, the youngest son of Sam Houston:

“This building fires the heart and excites reflections in the minds of all… the architecture of a civilization is its most enduring feature, and by this structure shall Texas transmit herself to posterity.”

It is interesting to note that the Texas Capitol is taller than the United States Capitol. According to Wikipedia, the building we presently have is the third building to function as the Texas Capitol. The first was a wooden structure and the second was destroyed by fire in 1881. The pink granite used in the building came from Granite Mountain in Marble Falls, Texas, just about an hour northwest of Austin.

These photos here were made in 2022 when a photographer friend was visiting Austin. It was a great time to meet her and walk around with other Austin friends. We visited several landmarks in the city. Seeing the Capitol with Bluebonnets (the state’s official wildflower) around it was a special treat. I also recall that I finally had the guts to do something I had never done while at the Capitol. I lay down flat on the floor and looked straight up – 218 feet (66.5 m) high, to be exact. That tiny star you see right at the center is 8 feet (2.5 m) from point to point and has the letters spelling Texas in between each star point. I was glad not many people were around when I got there for the photo.

This final image is the Texas Cowboy monument. Erected in 1925, the Texas Cowboy Monument was sculpted by Constance Whitney Warren. It was originally created for an exhibit in France. According to the Texas State Preservation Board, Warren later presented the sculpture to the State of Texas since it is the “native home of the cowboy”. Warren’s artwork is a tribute to the “rough and romantic riders of the range.”