NiNeteeNth CeNtury VoluMe 34 NuMber 1 Magazine of the Victorian Society in America Contents 3 Almost Lost NiNeteeNth the texas Governor’s mansion CeNtury Jane Karotkin Volume 34 • N umber 1 Spring 2014 9 American Artists in London Editor at The International William Ayres Exhibition of 1862 Consulting Editor Sally Buchanan Kinsey Barbara Finney Book Review Editor Karen Zukowski Advertising Manager / Graphic Designer 17 Curiosities and Wonders Wendy Midgett Hutchings’ California Magazine Printed by CRW Graphics, Inc. (1856-1861) Committee on Publications Cynthia Haveson Veloric Chair William Ayres Warren Ashworth Anne-Taylor Cahill Christopher Forbes Sally Buchanan Kinsey Michael J. Lewis Architecture and the James F. O’Gorman 27 Karen Zukowski Decorative Arts in henry James’s For information on The Victorian Society in America, contact the The Spoils of Poynton national office: Marie Frank 1636 Sansom Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 636-9872 Fax (215) 636-9873 [email protected] www.victoriansociety.org Departments 34 Preservation Diary 38 Art-Historical 45 Contributors Ragdale and Chicago Sleuthing as the Axis mundi of the Case of the 46 Inside the Modern Architecture Seebass memorial Victorian House Socrates at home Warren Ashworth James F. O’Gorman Anne-Taylor Cahill 43 The Bibliophilist Karen Zukowski Michael J. Lewis Cover: Charles l. Weed, Yo-Semite Jeannine Falino Valley, from the Mariposa Trail , 1864. earliest known photograph of the texas Governor’s mansion, c. 1870. Friends of the Governor’s mansion, Austin. Almost Lost the texAS GoVerNor ’S mANSioN JANe kArotkiN During the early hours of June 8, 2008, an arsonist scaled residence, $14,500 for the building and $2,500 for two fences and lobbed a “molotov cocktail” at the front furnishings. it also appointed three commissioners on door of the Governor’s mansion in Austin, texas. From February 11, 1854, “to furnish a plan and superintend the the initial fire on its front porch, the building burned erection of a suitable residence and outbuildings for the between the first and second floors, as well as under the Governor of the State.” 2 Governor e. m. Pease was one of roof, from the front to the back. by the time the fire the commissioners, along with the state treasurer and the department arrived, the fire was burning so intensely that comptroller. one of their most important acts was to it was difficult to bring under control, and many feared select a different site for the new mansion than had been that the result would be a total loss of the historic designated on the 1839 plan. block 125, immediately structure. After a long battle the fire was finally southwest of Capitol Square, was acquired by purchasing extinguished, but the extensive damage could not be several lots at a total cost of $3,500. 3 According to the assessed by engineers for several days due to the arson commissioners, investigation and safety concerns. Would it be possible to We think it proper here to state that if the house had save the edifice? or would texas have to provide a new been built on the half block designated by law there home for the governor, breaking a would have been no sufficient room for gardens, yards fifteen decade tradition? and shrubbery, and that the house would have had to front so that it could the city of Austin, fourth capital of never have been a comfortable and pleasant residence in this climate, the independent republic of texas during the warm weather. in changing (1836-1846), developed from the small the location we acted as we would have settlement of Waterloo on the Colorado done if building such a house for river. Designated as the seat of ourselves individually. 4 government by President mirabeau b. lamar in 1839, the city plan is credited Around this time, all three to edwin Waller. the dominant feature commissioners lived in houses built by of the plan is the large Capitol Square Abner Cook, the man who would be placed on a rise above the Colorado responsible for the construction of river. the upper half block just east of Governor’s mansion. Cook generally that square was designated for the sited these houses facing east to catch “President’s house” and became the the prevailing breeze, an advantage site of a simple two story residence that during the hot texas summers. burned in 1847. 1 until the completion Abner Cook was born in 1814 in of the Governor’s mansion in 1856, the rowan County, North Carolina, and probably apprenticed with a master chief executives of texas generally 5 occupied rented quarters while in builder in Salisbury. After working in Austin, which had grown to a macon, Georgia, possibly on the Greek population of about 3,000 in the 1850s. revival style Georgia Female College, Detail with design elements from Asher Cook moved to Nashville, tennessee, by 1854, texas had been a state for benjamin’s The Practice of Architectur e, 1851. 6 eight years and was prosperous enough in 1837. there he would have seen a to consider building a grand house for the governor. the number of buildings in the Greek legislature appropriated $17,000 for a new governor’s revival style. there are similarities between the houses he built in texas in the 1850s and the hermitage, home of 3 Andrew Jackson near Nashville. After a fire in 1834, painted white after a few decades to prevent it from President Jackson had the house rebuilt in Greek revival deteriorating, and the exterior has been painted ever style with six two story columns across the front. the since. symmetrical wings on the hermitage are reminiscent of Governor Pease spent his first night in the mansion on the original proposal by Cook to build the Governor’s June 10, 1856. 8 in August, while his wife was away visiting mansion with two wings, which were eliminated to reduce relatives, he hosted the first party in the mansion by the cost. inviting “his friends and the public” to the executive Cook was the low bidder on the mansion project by residence. Around 500 guests attended. refreshments offering to pay the cost of the drawings for the building included mrs. Pease’s preserves and brandied fruit, cakes which were created by richard and other food purchased by the Payne. little is known about Payne, governor for $121.80 according to a and his drawings do not survive. surviving receipt. Writing to his but Cook seems to have relied on wife a few days after the party, books like Asher benjamin’s Governor Pease reported that the Practice of Architecture and servants were still cleaning up from minard lafever’s Beauties of the festivities. 9 Modern Architecture for design Well-known residents during elements such as the shouldered the 19th century include Virginia- architraves around doors and born Sam houston, the hero of the windows. the six ionic columns battle of San Jacinto that won texas across the façade are 29 feet high independence from mexico in 1836. and follow the kind of proportions twice president of the republic of shown in the pattern books of the texas and a senator from texas time. the x-and-stick pattern of after statehood, houston is the only the front balustrade is a motif used person in united States history to by Cook on several other Austin have served as the governor of two houses. states. he was governor of the plan of the house is a central tennessee before his fateful move hall on first and second floors with to texas in 1832. houston moved two rooms on each side. by his family, wife margaret and seven orienting the front façade to the children, into the mansion in 1859. east, Cook took advantage of the A hotly debated appropriation by prevailing breeze to ventilate the the legislature provided $2,500 for house. high ceilings, 16 feet on the furnishings for the mansion, and first floor and 13 feet on the second one of the purchases was a bed for floor, added to the grand scale of governor that remains in the house. the rooms. A partial basement and the houstons’ eighth child was two story kitchen ell at the back delivered in this bed, the first child completed the structure, providing born in the Governor’s mansion. about 6,000 square feet of space. the family also had the bedrooms because amenities like an indoor on the north side of the second floor toilet, running water and gas lights divided to provide more private were not added until the 1870s, spaces for their large family. the outbuildings included a privy. the governor’s term was cut short when site, about two acres, also had a texas voted to secede. Sam stable and a kitchen garden houston refused to sign a loyalty maintained by lucadia Pease while oath to the Confederacy and the First lady from 1856 to 1857. two office of governor was declared cisterns at the back of the house vacant. by mid-march of 1861, the provided water, described as family was packing their belongings “excellent” by Governor Pease. 7 and by the end of the month left the 10 materials included buff colored top: martin Johnson heade, Sam Houston , c. 1846. mansion, and Austin, for good. brick from clay pits on texas’s Friends of the Governor’s mansion, Austin. James Stephen hogg, the first Colorado river, which runs bottom: Vase, c. 1810. Gift of ima hogg, 1943. native-born texas governor, held through Austin. Pine from a nearby Photo by eric beggs. office from 1891 to 1895. his county provided lumber for daughter, ima hogg, became a framing and floors.