AUSTIN – Two years after arson gutted the Texas Governor's Mansion, the slow, methodical, painstaking work of re-building the Texas treasure continues.
“What really hurt it was the fire and the water. The water, we had so much water,” said State Preservation Board project manager Dealey Herndon.
The mansion's thick brick walls and 1850s building techniques essentially helped the building save itself from destruction, especially the signature white columns, still blackened two years after the blaze.
“These columns, you just look at them and think they’re ruined, but (the fire) actually created a coating because the old wood was so dense, if this had been new wood it would have been gone,” Herndon said.
The smells of old smoke and new lumber fill the mansion. Cosmetic interior work will have to wait, though. Months of exterior work will begin soon. First removing lead paint from the outside, then comes the crucial step of installing a new roof.
“We can’t get to the inside of the house until we put a good solid roof on the house - we don’t want anymore water in the house,” she said.
Despite a slower-that-expected process, Herndon believes this Lone Star landmark will one day shine again for generations to come.
“We cannot deliver this project over-budget. We cannot do it, and so that’s what we owe to the public, and we owe a fabulous product. That’s our commitment on our team,” Herndon said.
Much of the lumber bracing the inside of the Mansion will be gone soon -- allowing crews to move about more easily and, for the first time since the fire, fully inspect the condition of the antique, long-leaf pine floors.
In the interest of full disclosure, Herndon also sits on the board of directors of KVUE-TV’s parent company, Belo Corp.
