H.C.R. No. 104 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Many people were involved in the Capitol Restoration 1-2 project but for one very special individual, our esteemed 1-3 colleague, the Honorable Debra Danburg, the preservation and 1-4 restoration of this historic seat of Texas government represented a 1-5 fiduciary duty that required prompt action by state officials to 1-6 ensure its continued existence as a shrine to Texas history; and 1-7 WHEREAS, From its inception, the vision of the present Texas 1-8 Capitol was a grand one; the previous Capitol had been destroyed by 1-9 fire on November 9, 1881, and, though the building's loss expedited 1-10 the need for the completion of the new Capitol, those who were 1-11 involved with the construction process in 1888 also had to contend 1-12 with a number of frustrating delays throughout the ordeal; and 1-13 WHEREAS, On March 4, 1884, the first 60 tons of limestone 1-14 were delivered to the Capitol grounds, only to be rejected because 1-15 the material did not meet required standards; after the decision 1-16 was made to switch from limestone to granite, a special railroad 1-17 had to be constructed to carry the stone from Granite Mountain in 1-18 Burnet County to Austin, resulting in further delays; and 1-19 WHEREAS, Other problems were soon to follow; though the state 1-20 had agreed to use convict labor, labor unions were opposed to such 1-21 competition and, as a result, stonecutters were brought in from 1-22 Scotland to continue construction in an action that prompted a 1-23 lawsuit and a boycott of the project by the International 1-24 Association of Granite Cutters; and 2-1 WHEREAS, Despite these and other delays, six years and 10 2-2 months after the project had been started, the building was finally 2-3 accepted by the Capitol board and in May of 1888, the new State 2-4 Capitol was dedicated and opened for business, having achieved the 2-5 proper balance between symbolic expression and functionalism; and 2-6 WHEREAS, Texans have always taken great pride in the beauty 2-7 of their State Capitol and with good reason; modeled on the U.S. 2-8 Capitol in Washington, D.C., the monument is shaped like a Greek 2-9 cross with a magnificent rotunda in the middle; and 2-10 WHEREAS, Though the symbolic value of the Capitol has 2-11 remained in the structure's majestic spaces throughout its 2-12 existence, changing technology and increased personnel soon created 2-13 a growing number of functional problems that hindered the 2-14 building's effectiveness as a workplace; through the years, 2-15 solutions to these problems were addressed in a piecemeal fashion, 2-16 resulting in a building that was not only inefficient but also 2-17 structurally unsound and contaminated by asbestos; and 2-18 WHEREAS, To address this serious problem, the 68th 2-19 Legislature created the State Preservation Board and in 1988, 100 2-20 years after the Capitol first opened its doors, an architect was 2-21 hired and the development of a master plan for the Capitol 2-22 Restoration project was begun; and 2-23 WHEREAS, After a thorough study of space and safety 2-24 requirements, it was determined that new construction was 2-25 inescapable if the Capitol were to be preserved as a working seat 2-26 of Texas government; any visible, aboveground structure was ruled 2-27 out for historic reasons and it was determined that an "invisible" 3-1 building should be constructed belowground, with its roof 3-2 attractively landscaped to retain the area's former character; and 3-3 WHEREAS, The 71st Legislature approved funds for the project 3-4 and on April 26, 1990, State Preservation Board members 3-5 participated in the official groundbreaking ceremony to begin 3-6 excavation work; from the start, the Capitol Restoration project 3-7 was the subject of controversy among those who questioned the 3-8 wisdom of spending nearly $150 million on the project when the 3-9 state faced so many other pressing concerns; and 3-10 WHEREAS, Fortunately for the citizens of this state, 3-11 Ms. Danburg, as a native Texan, had long served as a strong voice 3-12 for her fellow Texans who were not willing to see this majestic 3-13 symbol of our statehood fall into further disrepair or be destroyed 3-14 by fire; and 3-15 WHEREAS, Determined to keep the project on track, Ms. Danburg 3-16 became the "mother hen" of the restoration effort, participating in 3-17 weekly "deficiency tours" to highlight just how dangerous the 3-18 Capitol had become and successfully helping to fend off numerous 3-19 attempts to raid the Capitol Restoration fund and further delay the 3-20 construction schedule; and 3-21 WHEREAS, Like her forebears, Debra Danburg made the 3-22 preservation and restoration of the Capitol one of her top 3-23 priorities and her unwavering dedication to this goal has helped to 3-24 ensure that this magnificent architectural masterpiece will remain 3-25 a cherished cultural legacy and an outstanding example of historic 3-26 preservation in which all Texans can take great pride; now, 3-27 therefore, be it 4-1 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 4-2 hereby commend the Honorable Debra Danburg for her exceptional 4-3 leadership in the Capitol Restoration project; and, be it further 4-4 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 4-5 prepared for Ms. Danburg as an expression of high regard by her 4-6 colleagues in the Legislature of the State of Texas.