Burning Down the House

Somebody done went and burned down the Governor's mansion. And a part of me died when I found out.

Back in the days when I was downtown a bunch, I walked by it almost every day. It's a grand old building that's, very often, bigger than the governor who happens to live there at any particular time. It's only a few feet from the street on all sides, and if the governor happens to be leaving, get ready for traffic to stand still for a bit on Lavaca St.

Lavaca is Spanish for "the cow", by the way. The Governor's mansion backs up to it, and that's where the driveway connects. Right across the street from the Travis County tax office. Or at least where it used to be. I'm not sure any more.

Austin has changed so much in the 15 years I've lived here, and especially in the last 5, that I get lost. I don't get out of my neighborhood very often, so when I go places I used to know, they always look different. There are buildings where they didn't used to to be, and the roads don't always go where they used to.

The two landmarks that haven't moved or changed much from the outside are the Capitol and the Governor's mansion, right across the street from each other.


The Capitol had an extensive renovation, restoration and extension that ended several years ago. And as a lover of buildings for their own sakes, it's a gem. A fire 20 years ago made the need for renovation clear. What had been a grand building of pink granite blocks with walnut doors had become a warren of tiny offices, many in the basement. As the state grew, the building that housed its government had not.

The state appropriated money for additional office space in a unique under-ground office building with a sort of inverted dome. It's a brilliant piece of architecture that never lets you know you're actually 2 stories underground. Private money paid for most of the restoration to the original building.

The Governor's mansion had suffered similar neglect. It's older than the Capitol by a few years, over 150 years old. So when the $10 million restoration began, I was pleased. Plaster was falling off the ceilings, and the roof leaked. It was time for some work.

That's all moot now. All the money that's been spent to date went up in smoke, along with most of everything else. All of the detailed woodwork, the windows with their dripping glass, the grand stairway. All gone.

My guess is that they'll try to stabilize the exterior walls and rebuild inside them. It will probably end up looking similar to what it used to on the outside. But you can't restore what goes up in smoke. When it's gone, it's gone.