The
Texas Governor's Mansion, also known simply as
Governor's Mansion is a historic home for the
Governor of Texas in downtown
Austin, Texas. It was built during 1854, designed by prominent architect
Abner Cook, and has been the home of every governor since 1856.
On June 8, 2008, while midway through a major renovation, the mansion was damaged badly by an arson fire started with a
Molotov cocktail.
History
The mansion is the oldest continuously inhabited house in Texas and fourth oldest governor's mansion in the
United States that has been continuously occupied by a chief executive. The mansion was the first-designated Texas historic landmark, during 1962. It was listed in the
National Register of Historic Places as "Governor's Mansion" during 1970, and further was declared a U.S.
National Historic Landmark during 1974.
Original Architecture
Built by
Abner Cook in a
Greek Revival style and completed during 1856, the building occupies the center of a block and is surrounded by trees and gardens. The original mansion was . Remodeling during 1914 increased the size of the mansion to . The original mansion had 11 rooms but no bathrooms. The remodeling brought the room count to 25 rooms and 7 bathrooms.
2008 fire
The mansion was partially destroyed by a four-alarm fire during the early morning of June 8, 2008. Current Texas Governor
Rick......
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