The Texas State Capitol: Achievement Beloved by Texans
"The architecture of a civilization is its most enduring feature, and by this structure shall Texas transmit herself to posterity, for here science has done her utmost." —Temple Houston*
At noon today, the 89th Texas Legislature will convene for the first day of the 89th regular legislative session. Members-elect will be sworn in, and the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate will be elected by the members of their respective chambers.
It is a good occasion to talk about our state Capitol since it is the seat of the Legislature, it is beloved by Texans—including myself—and the twists and turns that accompanied the different buildings and the construction, fire, and renovation of the current building make for a good story of achievement.
In addition, as I have explained elsewhere, part of this publication will look at what makes Texas conducive to achievement, and public policy (please see disclaimer here) is an important part. January will have a bit more of that theme in the posts before we go back to discussing business and individual achievements stories, as well as the values and virtues that make them happen.
The State of Texas’ First Legislature
On March 1, 1845, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution to provide for the annexation of Texas (Joint Resolution, n.d.).
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress doth consent that the territory properly included within, and rightfully belonging to the Republic of Texas, may be erected into a new State, to be called the State of Texas, with a republican form of government, to be adopted by the people of said republic, by deputies in convention assembled, with the consent of the existing government, in order that the same may be admitted as one of the States of this Union.
The resolution required Texas to cede to the United States “all public edifices, fortifications, barracks, ports and harbors, navy and navy-yards, docks, magazines, arms, armaments, and all other property and means pertaining to the public defence” but allowed Texas to keep its public lands as well as its public debt. “In no event,” the resolution stated, “are said debts and liabilities to become a charge upon the Government of the United States.” Finally, the resolution also gave the future new state of Texas the right to divide itself into five states: “New States, of convenient size, not exceeding four in number, in addition to said State of Texas, and having sufficient population, may hereafter, by the consent of said State, be formed out of the territory thereof, which shall be entitled to admission under the provisions of the federal constitution.” (A novel has been written around the latter: Power Exchange by Alan Erwin.)
Then-president (the last) of the Republic of Texas Anson Jones called a Convention that met on July 4 of 1845. The Convention considered and accepted the proposal for annexation and worked to write a constitution for the new state of Texas until August 27 of that year (Texas Legislative Council, 1975). In October 1845, Texans voted to accept both the annexation and the new constitution (Texas Legislative Council, 1975; Carefoot, 1997). In turn, Congress passed a joint resolution to admit Texas into the Union and to accept its state constitution, which was signed by President James K. Polk on December 29, 1845. That date marks when the United States officially joined Texas welcomed Texas into the Union (Carefoot, 1997). The transfer of government happened on February 19, 1846.
J. Pinckney Henderson was elected as the first governor of the state of Texas—from February 19, 1846, to December 21, 1847 (Governors of Texas, n.d.; J. Pinckney Henderson, n.d.). Albert Clinton Horton was the first lieutenant governor, and William E. Crump was the first speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. The First Texas Legislature convened between February 16, 1846, and May 13, 1846, and gathered 20 senators and 66 representatives (May, 2024). The first constitution provided that Legislators’ “compensation was fixed for the first legislature at $3.00 a day with a mileage allowance of $3.00 for each twenty-five miles of travel to and from the Capitol. While the legislature was allowed to change the compensation, any increase was not to become effective until after an intervening election. Neither regular sessions, which were biennial, nor special sessions called by the governor were limited in duration. The date and hour of legislative sessions were determined by legislation” (May, 2024).
The Texas Legislature Today
Today, the Texas Legislature is constituted of 31 senators and 150 representatives. It meets every two years in odd-numbered years (only four states, including Texas, have a biennial legislature; 2025 State Legislative Sessions, n.d.) and first convenes at noon on the 2nd Tuesday in January and lasts 140 calendar days (weekends and holidays are calendar days). Between two regular sessions (also called the interim), the governor can call one or several special sessions that cover specific topics. Special sessions only last up to 30 days (Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, n.d.).
Texas state legislators currently receive an annual salary of $7,200 ($600 per month), as well as a $221 per diem for each day of a regular or special session of the Legislature. They are also entitled to mileage reimbursement in cents per mile traveled (Texas Constitution, Article 3: Legislative Department, Section 24; 2024 Legislator Compensation, 2024; Commission Rules, n.d.). According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, “In 2024, the average annual base salary for a state legislator was $44,320” (2024 Legislator Compensation, 2024), or more than six times higher than for Texas legislators.
Brief History of the Texas Capitol Building
The current Texas state Capitol is not the first Capitol building that Texas—republic and state—had. Some historians argue that the building where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the interim government formed in Washington-on-the-Brazos in 1836 should be considered the first Capitol (Texas Legislative Council, 1975; Hardeman, 2020). The Republic and the state of Texas changed their capital quite a bit (Johnson, 1952/2019). Even after Waterloo, which would be renamed Austin, was chosen in 1839, it took several decades for the matter to be fully settled in 1872 (Waterloo Approved, n.d.). All this is to say that the government's seat has also changed.
In 1839, the Texas Congress (under the Republic of Texas) convened in Austin in a “one-story frame structure, located near the present-day intersection of Colorado and 8th Streets, [which] served as the first Capitol in Austin” (Texas Legislative Council, 2016, p. 18) In 1853, a new building called the Old Stone Capitol became the statehouse for more than two decades.

But in the 1870s, as the population grew rapidly (10,000 inhabitants, y’all!), legislators wanted a bigger, more impressive statehouse. But at the time, Texas did not have the kind of surpluses such as the one announced yesterday (Johnson, 2024), so the legislators opted to pay for a new Capitol with public lands (pp. 18-21). In 1879, the 16th Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 21 (1879), which provided for the designation, surveying, and sale of three million and fifty thousand acres of the unappropriated public domain, and Senate Bill 153 (1879), which provided for the building of the new state Capitol.
The search for an architect began, and the work on plans and choosing material was underway when the Old Stone Capitol burned to the ground on November 9, 1881 (Texas Legislative Council, 2016, p. 21). A temporary building was built, for which $50,000 was appropriated. According to the Texas Legislative Council, “At one point, a rainstorm caused the collapse of the partially completed temporary Capitol, but work was resumed immediately and the building was accepted on January 15, 1883, with a balance of $494.96 of the appropriation remaining” (p. 24).
Two Capitol Board commissioners broke ground in 1882, but construction of the permanent Capitol began in 1883 (Texas Legislative Council, 2016, p. 24).
The building is located on a commanding elevation, near the city of Austin, in the square originally selected for the Capitol of the Republic of Texas. The style of architecture is classic, with modern treatment, the outlines being sufficiently broken to give stately appearance and to secure proper contrasts of light and shade. The various combinations of scientific principle are employed to combine that simplicity, harmony and grandeur which alone is approved by cultured taste. (pp. 24-25)
Limestones from Oatmanville weighing up to 25 tons each had been selected to build the Capitol, but upon delivery, it was discovered that “the Oatmanville limestone was unstable in color and that exposure to the weather would cause the stone to develop rust-colored streaks, leaving it unfit for surface work” (Texas Legislative Council, 2016, pp. 24-26). In the end, red granite donated by the owners of Granite Mountain in Burnet County was used (p. 28).
In February 1888, the Goddess of Liberty was created out of 80 pieces of zinc and put on top of the dome (Capitol History, n.d.).
The new Texas state Capitol was dedicated and opened to the public on May 16, 1888 (Texas Legislative Council, 2016, p. 33).
The greatest of states commissions me to stay that she accepts this building, and henceforth it shall be the habitation of her government. —Temple Houston, Capitol Dedication speech, May 16, 1888
More than 20,000 people attended the dedication (Capitol History, n.d.).
The building was finally accepted by the Capitol Board on December 8, 1888, 6 years and 10 months after construction had begun, and on January 15, 1889. (Texas Legislative Council, 2016, p. 33)
Less than a century later, in 1983, a fire started in the east wing that damaged both the Capitol and the Goddess of Liberty (Capitol Restoration, n.d.). In 1986, the statue was removed and replaced with an aluminum replica (the original statue can be seen at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin).
In 1983, the 68th Legislature created the State Preservation Board, whose goal was to “restore, preserve and maintain the Capitol, Capitol Grounds and the Old General Land Office” (Capitol Restoration, n.d.). In 1989, the board recommended building an underground extension to the building, whose construction started in 1990. Restoration of the original building started in 1991. The Capitol extension opened in 1993, and the restoration was completed in 1995.
Perseverance, Resilience, and Ingenuity
It seems fair to say that the beautiful Texas state Capitol, a building that Texans, the author included, adore, is an achievement of perseverance, resilience, and ingenuity—coming from Texas state legislators, Texans, architects, and all workers who worked on the different buildings (I did skip the labor union boycott and other twists and turns for the sake of keeping this article relatively short). The Capitol also represents the historical achievements of Texas and Texans—their fight for independence and freedom, and the state’s success.
The Texas Capitol continues to host those who will influence the direction of the state and who will pass policies that, we hope, will continue to make Texas the best state for achievers.
*Capitol Dedication speech, May 16, 1888.
Cited Sources
2024 Legislator Compensation. (2024, August 14). National Conference of State Legislatures. https://www.ncsl.org/about-state-legislatures/2024-legislator-compensation
2025 State Legislative Sessions Calendar. (n.d.). Quorum. Retrieved January 12, 2025, https://www.quorum.us/info/state-legislative-sessions-calendar/
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About the Texas Legislature. (n.d.). Legislative Reference Library to Texas. Retrieved January 12, 2025, https://lrl.texas.gov/genInfo/FAQ.cfm
Capitol History: 1839 – 1888. (n.d.). State Preservation Board. Retrieved January 12, 2025, https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tc/tc-history/history/index.html
Capitol Restoration and Expansion: 1980 – 1995. (n.d.). State Preservation Board. Retrieved January 12, 2025, https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tc/tc-history/restoration/index.html
Carefoot, J. (1997). Narrative History of Texas Annexation. Texas State Library and Archives Commission. https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/annexation/index.html
Commission Rules: Chapter 50. Legislative Salaries and Per Diem. (n.d.). Texas Ethics Commission. Retrieved January 12, 2025, https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/rules/commission/ch50.php
Erwin, Alan R. (1979). The Power Exchange: A Novel of Texas Secession. Texas Monthly Press. https://www.amazon.com/power-exchange-novel-Alan-Erwin/dp/0932012086
Governors of Texas, 1846 – Present. (n.d.). Legislative Reference Library to Texas. Retrieved January 12, 2025, from https://lrl.texas.gov/legeleaders/governors/govBrowse.cfm
Hardeman, L. (2020, December 8). What were the 8 Capitals of Texas before Austin? Texas Proud. https://texasproud.com/first-capitols-of-texas/
J. Pinckney Henderson. (n.d.). Legislative Reference Library to Texas. Retrieved January 12, 2025, from https://lrl.texas.gov/legeleaders/governors/govPage.cfm?governorID=1
Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States Approved March 1, 1845. (n.d.). Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved January 12, 2025, from https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/annexation/march1845.html
Johnson, B. (2025, January 13). Texas Comptroller Projects $23.8 Billion Treasury Surplus Ahead of 89th Legislative Session. The Texan. https://thetexan.news/issues/texas-taxes-spending/texas-comptroller-projects-23-8-billion-treasury-surplus-ahead-of-89th-legislative-session/article_9a8d337e-d1c2-11ef-9e52-abcfa01faa16.html
Johnson, J. G. (1952/2019). Handbook of Texas: Capitals. Texas State Historical Association. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/capitals
May, J. C. (2024, March 8). Handbook of Texas: Texas Legislature. Texas State Historical Association. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/texas-legislature
Senate Bill 21. 16th Texas Legislature. (1879). https://lrl.texas.gov/legis/billsearch/billdetails.cfm?billFileID=269832&from=advancedsearch
Senate Bill 153. 16th Texas Legislature. (1879). https://lrl.texas.gov/legis/billsearch/billdetails.cfm?billFileID=269868&from=advancedsearch
Texas Constitution, Article 3: Legislative Department, Section 24. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CN/htm/CN.3/CN.3.24.htm
Texas Legislative Council. (1975). The Texas Capitol: Symbol of Achievement. Texas Legislative Council.
Texas Legislative Council. (2016). The Texas Capitol: A History of the Lone Star Statehouse. Texas Legislative Council. https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth902948/
Waterloo Approved as New Capital of Texas. (n.d.). Texas Day by Day, Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved January 12, 2025, from https://www.tshaonline.org/texas-day-by-day/entry/826
Additional Sources
Capitol Building Dedication Ceremony: Excerpts from Senator Temple Houston's Acceptance Speech May 16, 1888. (n.d.). TexasBob.com. Retrieved January 12, 2025, from https://texasbob.com/txdoc/texdoc13.html.
Goddess of Liberty: Crowning the dome of the Texas State Capitol. (n.d.). Bullock Texas State History Museum. Retrieved January 12, 2025, from https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/texas-state-capitol/goddess-liberty
Texas Legislative Reference Library. (2018, May 8). Legislative Foundations for the Capitol. https://lrl.texas.gov/whatsNew/client/index.cfm/2018/5/8/Legislative-Foundations-for-the-Capitol