By Judlyne Lilly
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-720977.mp3
Dallas, TX – The sight of one of the most celebrated homes in Texas, blackened and battered by an arsonist's blaze, was almost too much for historian Larry Oaks.
LARRY OAKS: Well the effective site of it, is you know it almost makes you break down and cry.. these are inanimate objects, but they reflect people who went before us and created you know the society and culture that we're living in and so its just unfortunate....
Architect John Volz took it personally.
JOHN VOLZ: It's like having a sick child or a close family member, it's hearbreaking, but i know that we can salvage it, that it can be repaired and it will have new life.
Now both men feel a weighty responsibility and pride as they take part in restoring this Texas treasure. Volz, the restoration architect, drew up the plans that would retain the historical features of the mansion during the renovation. Now he'll create new ones for the repair work.
Sot: Well it's a different project, certainly, some of the work that was installed during the maintenance program is salvagable and can be reincorporated into a future project.
It was as if the fire pushed Larry Oaks, the Executive Director of the Texas Historical Commission back 150 years.. Speaking in front of the burned out building he talked about Abner Cook the architect who'd once built coffins before constructing Austin's first log church, and many fine homes.
LARRY OAKS: I was built over about a two and a half year time period. The state contracted with Abner Cook and agreed to pay him 17 thousand dollars, a tremendous sum to build this. One of the most spectacular Greek Revival mansions in America. In the 1840's this was the prevailing and predominant style of architecture that was developed.
Cook's two-story, 6-thousand square foot masterpiece captured the elegance of its period. Visitors entering the Texas Governor's Mansion were greeted by six, white columns- 29 feet high. They were stretched across the covered front porch or portico, the columns reached upward past the second floor balcony. Its balustrade or railing included Cook's trademark X-and-Stick design. Inside,11 rooms and 16-foot ceilings. But in its earliest days, no bathrooms.
In 1856, The fifth Governor of Texas, Elisha Pease, moved in with his wife and daughters, becoming the first residents of the mansion.
A few years later, Sam Houston, hero of the Texas Revolution, moved in and brought with him the four-poster mahogany bed that's still part of the state's collection.
In the 1890's, James Hogg left his mark on the mansion by hammering nails into the banister after finding his son sliding down it.
Governor John Connolly's wife, Nellie, oversaw the creation of the formal gardens when they lived there in the 1960's.
The mansion has been redecorated, repaired or renovated numerous times in the past 152 years, but never have architects been faced with the task before Larry Oaks and John Volz today. Given the brutality of the fire Volz, the architect, is surprised at what has survived.
Volz: The surviving fabric is in amazingly good condition and is definitely salvageable and restorable. The Protective coatings or covering that were installed on the floors, the door trim the mantels and the principal stair, performed amazingly well through the fire
But the roof will have to be replaced. The Greek Revival columns are severely damaged, but can probably be saved.
It doesn't appear that money will be a problem either. The State Preservation board, the lead agency on this project says before the fire they'd only spent 2 million dollars out of the original renovation budget of 10 million dollars.
Oaks as the Executive Director of the Texas Historical Commission will be looking over and approving every little detail in the renovation says he's optimistic they can restore this beloved -landmark to its former greatness.
LARRY OAKS: I think we're all hopeful that this will be seen as one of the best restoration projects in the United States.
Judlyne Lilly KERA News in Austin