The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 60, July 1956 - April, 1957 Page: 436
616 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
missioners should advertise "in at least six newspapers published
in 'Texas and one in each of the cities of St. Louis, Chicago, and
New York for bids for the construction of ... [the] Capitol."
The remaining sections elaborated upon the provisions noted
and left as few doubts as possible as to the legislative intent.9
Governor Oran M. Roberts, the comptroller, and the secretary
of state evaluated the land at 50 cents per acre and in November,
1880, Joseph Lee of Austin and N. L. Norton of Salado were ap-
pointed building commissioners, and J. N. Preston of Austin was
chosen building superintendent.1
On November 2o, 188o, the commissioners issued a publication
soliciting building plans and specifications. It contained a detailed
description of what the state wanted its capitol to look like, and
set February 1, 1881, as the deadline for submission of plans.
Eleven designs were submitted and Preston, Lee, and Norton
adopted a systematic method of evaluation and analysis so as
to "produce results, if possible, practically and mathematically
correct. .. ." At the instigation of Governor O. M. Roberts, a
consulting architect, Napoleon Le Brun of New York City, was
engaged to assist in the selection, and J. N. Preston resigned as
superintendent on April 1i."1
Le Brun finally settled on a design submitted by E. E. Myers of
Detroit. This selection was endorsed by the commissioners to the
Capitol Board, which unanimously approved the endorsement of
Le Brun's report, "in which, with specified changes and modifica-
tions, he recommends the plans and specifications submitted
under the nom de plume of 'Tuebor.' " Myers completed plans,
detail drawings, full specifications, and a form of contract for the
builders early in October, 1881.12
Having secured the services of an architect, the commissioners
placed the following advertisement on July 1, 1881:
Sealed proposals for supplying all materials and completing every
class of work required in the construction of a new State Capitol at
Austin, Texas, will be received up to twelve o'clock (noon) on the
fifteenth day of November, 1881. Payment of the entire amount to be
oGammel (comp.), Laws of Texas, VIII, 1411-1415.
loReport of the Commissioners, January z, 1883, p. 13.
lIbid., 14-17.
12Ibid., 2o-21.436
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 60, July 1956 - April, 1957, periodical, 1957; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101163/m1/471/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.