Posted on 06/08/2008 5:52:34 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Fire destroys Texas governor's mansion
12 minutes ago
Texas state officials say a four-alarm fire has caused "catastrophic" damage to the Texas Governor's Mansion in Austin.
Governor's spokesman Robert Black says said no one was inside the 150-year-old home when the fire began shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday. He says the cause is not yet known.
The mansion had been undergoing a $10 million renovation and Gov. Rick Perry and his wife had moved out last fall.
Black says the damage to the mansion "is extraordinary, bordering on catastrophic."
He says more than 100 firefighters are at the scene and the roof of the mansion is very unstable.
10 mill renovation.
Now they waste even more $ building a new one.
Let the Governor buy/rent his own house.
It’s not his house. It belongs to the people of Texas.
The building can be rebuilt but I’m hoping the irreplaceable historic display pieces and important documents were removed from the mansion as part of the renovation process.
OH NO! I visited the old mansion a couple of years ago. I hate that it is destroyed.
It was a nice looking place from the street - to me it didn’t appear that large
The Governor’s Mansion, the most historic house in Texas, sits on a beautifully landscaped city block in Austin near the Capitol building. Built in 1856, it is the oldest continuously occupied executive residence west of the Mississippi. The building has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
And it’s useless to them because they don’t live there.
If the Illinois Governor’s mansion burned down I wouldn’t want to pay for a new one. Our guv doesn’t even live there.
Thanks for this post.
And has for 152 years. Terrible loss.
We drove around it a couple years ago. It was a beautiful looking building set on nice grounds. This is just terrible. Interesting that it should happen during a restoration.
It’s probably arson.
The Texas Governor's Mansion in 2006.
Or a careless contractor.
Nothing on your home page. Are you a Texan?
Look, I dislike Rick Perry as much as anyone, but this is not about him. He’s only the last governor to live there, and he didn’t really appreciate the place. He’s living in splendor elsewhere.
The governor’s mansion is a piece of Texas history, and this hurts.
I supported the restoration, I’m sure there is insurance involved, but this is really not about money.
Sad day.
The article clearly said that the Mansion is the governor's residence, that he moved out temporarily while it was being renovated.
Interesting that the Texas Democrat convention in Austin just ended yesterday.
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