The State Capitol is one of the most impressive state capitols in the country. It is a National Historic Landmark and is registered on the National Register of Historic Places. When Austin was established as the capital of Texas in 1839, the capitol building was a two-room log cabin with an eight-foot fence to protect it from Indian raids. The new capitol, designed by Elijah E. Myers in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, was completed in 1888. It is 308 feet tall, taller than the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The building is mostly made of Oak Hill limestone and is today an integral part of downtown Austin.
The main entrance faces the Congress Avenue Historic District. It has 360,000 square feet of floor space, occupying 2.25 acres of land. The building has almost four hundred rooms and nine hundred windows. The central rotunda features a gallery of portraits of all presidents from and governors of Texas. There is a large painting of David Crockett in the south foyer.as well as sculptures of Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston.
1100 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701, hone: 512-463-0063