Today’s Note

Please excuse our dust. We’re currently working to bring you an even better newsletter. Over the next couple weeks, you may see some things that are still in the works. We’re excited for you to see what we’ve been up to.

Capitol construction

A visual history of the Texas Capitol’s construction

The Texas Capitol as seen in the late 1800s, partially constructed. Most of the building is complete, save for the dome at the top.

The Texas Capitol building took roughly six years to construct. | Photo via The Portal to Texas History, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

The Texas Capitol is, in a word, grand.

The 135-year-old pink granite building is taller than any other domed capitol in the US — even the national one — and is a striking part of the downtown skyline from several angles, thanks to Capitol View Corridors.

Today, we’re taking you on a visual history of the landmark’s construction.

The second Texas State Capitol, on fire in 1881. Smoke shrouds the limestone facade, and you can see a group of people standing and looking at it in the foreground. — The second Texas state capitol building caught fire in 1881.
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Photo courtesy Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.

Beginnings

The story begins in November 1881, when the state’s second capitol building caught fire.

A passage from Texas Siftings describes the scene: “Huge volumes of black smoke poured from the doomed building, and settled over the fair city…like a sable funeral pall, enveloping in its somber folds the spires and domes that glitter on the several hills of the Capital City.”

Within two hours, the limestone facade of the building was all that remained.

An old photo of the temporary Texas Capitol building. — The temporary Capitol also housed UT students and Austin High School.
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Photo courtesy Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.

Temporary home

Work to replace the structure began quickly. By 1883, the Texas government had built a temporary capitol building — working out of the Congress Avenue courthouse and jail in the interim — that later housed UT classes and Austin High School.

This building also met a fiery death in 1899, but its bricks were scavenged and reused across Austin. You can still see a historic marker for this space downtown, next to the Old Bakery and Emporium.

In with the new

Building the new Capitol required transporting 50,000 tons of pink stone from “Granite Mountain” outside of Marble Falls (City Editor London’s hometown). Fun fact: This reserve also supplied 450,000 tons to build the Galveston sea wall and jetties.

When completed, the Capitol had 192,374 sqft of indoor space — or, 18 acres — and almost 400 rooms. All in all, construction lasted from February 1882 to December 1888.

Click the button below for more old photos of the Texas Capitol building.

More photos here

Events

Wednesday, March 29

Ricardo Nuila: “The People’s Hospital: Hope & Peril in American Medicine” | Wednesday, Mar. 29 | 7 p.m. | BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin | Free | Nuila’s book follows Texans without health insurance as they seek care for health conditions.
Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations | Now-Sunday, April 2 | Times vary | Bass Concert Hall, 2350 Robert Dedman Dr., Austin | $35-$135 | Follow The Temptations’ journey from Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in this Broadway show.

Thursday, March 30

Bourbon & Biscuits: Rare Whiskey and Biscuit Pairings | Thursday, Mar. 30 | 4-10 p.m. | Stella San Jac, 310 E. 5th St., Austin | $31-$50 | What’s more southern than a tasting menu of bourbon, whiskey, and house-made biscuits?
Back to the Future | Thursday, Mar. 30 | 8 p.m. | Dick Nichols Park, 8801 Beckett Rd., Austin | Free | Enjoy the ‘80s classic on the big screen.

Friday, March 31

HONK!TX | Friday, Mar. 31 | 6-10 p.m. | Central Machine Works, 4824 E. Cesar Chavez St., Austin | Free | This free festival turns local spaces into concert venues for street bands.
Round Rock Express vs Albuquerque | Friday, Mar. 31-Sunday, Apr. 2 | Times vary | Dell Diamond, 3400 E. Palm Valley Blvd., Round Rock | $12-$46 | Kick off the season with a home game vs. the Albuquerque Isotopes.

Plan ahead with our community events calendar

100+ MORE EVENTS

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Weather

68º | Partly cloudy | 21%

Biz

Prebiotic soda company Poppi will open its headquarters at The Hatchery, a mixed-use building east of I-35. The 3,500-sqft office will eventually host 15-20 employees in Austin. (Austin Business Journal)

Transit

CapMetro, which has previously relied on off-duty Austin police officers for law enforcement, will have its own police department by 2024. The new department will grow to 46 officers over five years. (CBS Austin)

Announced

Shania Twain, Gwen Stefani, and Alanis Morissette will perform at this Sunday’s CMT Music Awards. Tickets are still available for the star-studded event taking place at the Moody Center. (Austin American-Statesman)

Legacy

Murray Callahan, the former owner of Callahan’s General Store, died this past weekend at 93 years old. Callahan ran the South Austin store for 40+ years before passing it onto his children. (KXAN)

Coming Soon

Fitness company Swift Fit Events will open a new permanent location at 918 Congress Avenue this week. Alcohol-free bar Sans Bar has plans to pop up in the location with spiritless cocktails. (Eater Austin)

Edu

Round Rock High Schooler Emaan Chhatriwala is one of the 0.25% of ACT test-takers to earn a perfect score. Last year, Emaan also helped launch the HEARD Foundation for children of refugees. (KXAN)

Number

4+ million. That’s the number of people who start their day with this free newsletter because it declutters the daily news and provides a five-minute rundown of the most important stories happening around the world. Want to save time and get smarter? Sign up.*

Drink

The most polished organizational item in your kitchen: the Fellow Atmos Coffee Canister, which not only looks great but keeps coffee fresh by sucking oxygen out of the jar. Pro tip: You can use it to store any snack and it will stay fresh longer.

Outdoors

Among the wildflowers

A guide to Texas wildflowers

Spotted: some early-season bluebonnets in Downtown Austin. | Photo by ATXtoday

It’s the most beautiful time of the year in Texas: wildflower season.

To commemorate the occasion, here’s a crash course on some of the state’s most commonly found blooms.

Bluebonnets | We’ll start with the most iconic flowers in the field. You probably know bluebonnets are the state flower of Texas, but did you know TxDOT has been cultivating them along state highways since the 1930s?

Pink Evening Primrose | These flowers aren’t always pink. In fact, they’re more commonly found to be white in the northern part of the state.

Firewheels | According to legend, these flowers were once all-yellow, until widespread destruction of Aztec communities by Spanish conquistadors permanently stained them red.

Texas Indian Paintbrush | These red “petals” on these plants — which can be found as far north as Alaska — are actually bracts, a type of leaf.

Learn more from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and follow the season with @TexasWIldflowerWatch on Instagram.

The Wrap

Today’s Edition By:
London

From the Editor

Did you know that picking wildflowers can set off a chain reaction and affect the health of an entire ecosystem? For this reason — and several others — the U.S. Forest Service discourages picking or harvesting wildflowers. Learn more.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Dig into this pop-up picnic taking place this weekend.

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