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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Texas State Capitol is 125 years old in 2013, and |
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this special anniversary represents a fitting opportunity to |
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celebrate a truly unique Texas landmark; and |
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WHEREAS, The fourth capitol building in Austin, it is a |
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striking example of Renaissance Revival architecture that was |
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modeled on the U.S. Capitol and financed by a grant of three million |
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acres of land in the Panhandle; it is constructed out of red granite |
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quarried in Burnet County and transported to Austin by a specially |
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built narrow-gauge railway; and |
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WHEREAS, The project's final feature, a statue of the Goddess |
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of Liberty, was placed atop the dome on February 26, 1888, and on |
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April 21, the Capitol was opened to the public for the first time; |
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it contained 392 rooms, 18 vaults, 924 windows, and 404 doors; the |
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furnishings for the house and senate chambers were installed in |
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1889; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the next century, the Capitol was frequently |
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updated and renovated; impressive paintings of the battles of the |
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Alamo and San Jacinto were installed in the early 1900s, a post |
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office opened in the building in 1908, and in 1922, an |
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electronically controlled voting apparatus was set up in the house |
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chamber; throughout the years, monuments to Texas cowboys, war |
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veterans, and Tejano pioneers have been among the statues situated |
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on the Capitol's grounds; and |
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WHEREAS, In February 1983, a fire severely damaged the |
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Capitol's East Wing and led to the creation of the State |
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Preservation Board, which developed a master plan for a major |
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restoration of the building; work began in 1990 for a |
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665,000-square-foot underground annex, and over the next seven |
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years, the Capitol's exterior, interior, and grounds were |
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extensively renovated; the Capitol was rededicated on April 21, |
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1995; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, the State Capitol serves both as the seat of |
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government in Texas and as a destination for visitors from across |
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the state and nation and around the world, who come to appreciate |
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the building's beauty and dignity and to learn about the |
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fascinating history of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Texas |
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State Capitol. |