The capitol has a commanding presence in austin. It is at the top of the hill. Capitol square is over 22 acres of parklike grounds. It has this beautiful renaissance revival style with sunset red granite. It is easy to see from almost any Vantage Point in downtown austin. We have a round dome, not unlike the nations capitol, topped by the goddess of liberty at the top of the capitol dome. Texans are proud of the fact that the Texas Capitol is actually taller than the national capital. When the first capitol was completed in 1853, it was very small and was not popular. Officials started to make plans for a grander, more fitting State Capitol for texas. They realized they could not afford what they had in mind and so they were able to set aside acres of land in the panhandle, and trade that so the Texas Capitol could be completed in 1888. It imparts to visitors the story of texas, the story of the land it took to build the capitol but also about the history of the state of texas, not onl