Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, main entrance. Photo by Keith Farrow, June 2010.
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Architectural Style
The Texas State Capitol is in the style of Renaissance Revival, also sometimes referred to as Neo-Renaissance. Neo-Renaissance is a mixture of Renaissance and Henry II styles and has mainly Roman and Greek features (Marc Maison website). The State Capitol has a mixture of two different Greek orders of architecture, Doric and Corinthian. The original plans consisted of all Corinthian design but this was changed later during construction (Robinson 261).
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Construction of the State Capitol dome, 1882-1888. Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo from State Preservation Board website, courtesy of Austin History Center.
Interior of the dome, looking up from the center of the rotunda, Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo by Keith Farrow, June 2010.
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Structural drawing detailing double dome construction of the State Capitol Dome, Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo scanned by Sharon Farrow from The Capitol Story: Statehouse in Texas.
Dome of the Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo by Keith Farrow, June 2010.
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Capitol Dome
The Texas State Capitol has a large dome that reflects
many types of architectural styles. Domes were first used in Islamic
architecture and adapted by the Romans, where they introduced the large round
masonry hemisphere (Encyclopedia Britannica Online website) . In the Byzantine Empire the practice of
placing the dome on piers began (Encyclopedia Britannica Online website), a
trait that can be seen on the dome of the Texas Capitol.
The Texas State Capitol has a double dome design, which was first used in Islamic architecture and modified by the Romans and adapted by Christopher Wren in the 1600’s for use in St. Paul’s Cathedral and gives the structure more stability. (Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2000). The dome was built with structural steel and metal sheathing between the two domes (Fowler 118) and the exterior of the dome is actually metal, although from the exterior it appears to be made of stone (Robinson 260). When inside the Capitol, the smaller interior dome is seen when standing in the rotunda and looking up. |
Corinthian capitals of pilasters and plaster work in the rotunda of the Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo from State Preservation Board website.
Plaster work in the rotunda, Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo scanned by Sharon Farrow from The Capitol Story: Statehouse in Texas.
Doric pilasters, north wall of Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo by Sharon Farrow, December 2002.
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Corinthian column and capital, House chamber of Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo scanned by Sharon Farrow from The Capitol Story: Statehouse in Texas.
Corinthian capital with non-fluted shaft, near the main entrance of Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo scanned by Sharon Farrow from The Capitol Story: Statehouse in Texas.
Doric columns, north entrance Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo by Sharon Farrow, December 2002.
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Columns, Pilasters,and Plaster work
The columns used on the capitol are either Corinthian or Doric. Corinthian columns have ornate capitals (the top of the column) and usually the column shaft is fluted (Robinson 267). The columns used on the capitol building are either Corinthian
or Doric. On the Capitol the columns on the exterior
near the main entrance of the building have Corinthian capitals but the shafts
are not fluted (Fowler 112), and the columns in the House chamber have both
Corinthian capitals and fluted shafts (Fowler 116).
Doric columns are very simple with no ornamentation on the capital and usually have no base. The columns on the north side of the building, which support the pediment structure, are Doric columns (Robinson 261). Pilasters look like columns that are embedded into the walls rather than supporting structures like actual columns (Robinson 261). These are found throughout the exterior of the Capitol and are Doric style as well, with smooth shafts and plain capitals. In the rotunda, there are plaster detail brackets that are very ornate. They are Greek influenced and are very similar to Corinthian capitals on the columns (Fowler 116). There are also pilasters in the rotunda which have Corinthian capitals and have fluted shafts. |
Pediment on north entrance, Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo by Sharon Farrow, December 2002.
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Pediment
A pediment is a triangular section above an entrance (or colonnade) that has a horizontal cornice and raking cornices and is of Greek origin. The north entrance of the Capitol has a pediment and the tympanum, the flat triangular section within the pediment, is decorated with a small round window-which is a trait of the Neo-Renaissance style that veers from the Greek style of plain or sculptured tympanums (Robinson 268).
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Neo-Renaissance staircase design, leading from rotunda of the Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo by Keith Farrow, June 2010.
Spiral staircase, in the interior, between the two domes, leading to the cupola at Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Photo from State Preservation Board website.
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Stairways
A trait of Neo-Renaissance is the staircase from the
rotunda. The staircases in
Neo-Renaissance rise then have a platform and the staircase makes a 90 degree
turn. But the Capitol also has
a spiral staircase which is Greek in origin (Robinson 270).
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