Much has been written about the fire that ravaged the Governor's Mansion last week. The Mansion has an important place in Texas history; it has served as home to 40 governors and their families, and houses many important portraits, manuscripts, and furniture. This week I will share some of the Mansion's history.
In 1854, the Texas Legislature appropriated $14,500 for construction of the Governor's Mansion. The contract was awarded to Austin master builder Abner Cook, who was renown for his Greek Revival style of architecture. The design for the house included a deep veranda, floor-length windows and wide hallways to provide cooling ventilation in summer. The "X-and-Stick" balustrades on the porch were Cook's trademark. The square plan of the structure placed four main rooms on each floor, two on either side of a broad central hall. Twenty-nine foot Ionic columns across the front of the house spanned ceiling heights of sixteen feet downstairs and thirteen feet upstairs.
The house was completed on June 14, 1856. Texas's fifth Governor, Elisha Marshall Pease, and his family became the Mansion's first residents. The Legislature's $2,500 appropriation for furniture for the Mansion didn't go very far, so the Peases used some of their own furniture. Still, some of the rooms went unfurnished.
Sam Houston, hero of the Texas Revolution, was elected Governor in 1859. Because of the Mansion's sparse furnishings, Houston ordered the massive mahogany four-poster bed which was located in the southeast bedroom. Temple Lea Houston, Sam and Margaret's eighth child, became the first baby born in that bed and in the Mansion.
James Stephen Hogg, the first native born Texas governor, took office in 1891. Hogg's four children often slid down the stair banister. After his youngest son fell off, Governor Hogg hammered tacks down the banister and ended the fun. The nail holes were filled after he left office, but are still visible.
In 1901, the Mansion was redecorated by Texas First Lady Orline Sayers on the occasion of Texas' first Presidential visitor, William McKinley. The Mansion underwent repairs in 1914, during which the original kitchen wing was demolished to make room for an addition to the back of the main house, and a new enlarged kitchen was then built. This was the only substantial addition to the Mansion. It was renovated again in 1979, and furnished with a collection of 19th century American antiques, including Stephen F. Austin's writing desk and sofa; paintings of Sam Houston, the "Fall of the Alamo," and Stephen F. Austin; and the bed Sam Houston ordered when he moved into the Mansion.
Most recently, the Legislature appropriated $10 million for extensive renovations of the Governor's Mansion. Among these renovations was to be a fire extinguishing system and asbestos removal. And while the arson greatly damaged the structure of the Mansion, all of the furnishings and paintings had been removed for the renovation, saving them from certain destruction. The Governor and his family were also moved from the residence during the renovations, and fortunately no one was hurt as a result of the fire.
You can reach me by writing to P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768-2910 or by e-mailing me at larry.phillips@house.state.tx.us. My district office phone number is (903) 891-7297.
