Restoration Plans for the Mansion

Taxpayers to fund Governor's Mansion repairs

Once federal investigators wrap up their inspection, crews can begin the daunting task of cleaning out the Governor's Mansion.

The mansion was not insured, because it is a state-owned building, and state buildings are not insured.

It is unknown how much Texas taxpayers will pay to either restore or replace the mansion.

With all the damage, observers could not help but wonder if the mansion could be restored, especially after knowing that hundreds of thousands of gallons of water were poured on the building.

The state had already spent $1.8 million of the $10 million allotted to renovate the mansion. Funds spent on the layout plan, site preparation, wall work and padding has been lost to the fire.

"Only firefighters and the criminal investigators on scene in the mansion to see the damage done that's been done," said governor's spokeswoman Krista Piferrer. "We can imagine it is pretty extensive, and so right now, moving forward, we don't have a cost estimate on what impact this has done."

The criminal investigation is expected to wrap up by the end of the week.

Then the State Preservation Board will assess the extent of the damage, remove anything that can be salvaged and draw up a new plan.

Heritage Society of Austin sets up donation fund

The Heritage Society of Austin has established a fund for public donations Tuesday to help restore the Governor's Mansion after it was gutted by a four-alarm blaze.

"We have heard from numerous citizens who are heartsick over the tragic destruction of this beloved structure and who want to see it restored to its traditional glory," said John Donisi, president of the society.

Donisi said any monies received by the society will go for supplementary needs and are not meant to substitute responsibility by the Texas Legislature to provide funds needed for the building's basic reconstruction.

Contributions to the fund may be addressed to:

Save the Mansion Fund
Heritage Society of Austin
P.O. Box 2113
Austin, Texas 78768-2113

Or to:

Friends of the Texas Historical Commission
P.O. Box 13492
Austin, TX, 78711-3497

Or to:

Austin Community Foundation
4315 Guadalupe
Suite 300
Austin, TX, 78751

Or to:

Friends of the Governor's Mansion
P.O. Box 24447
Austin, TX, 78768

Any such contributions to Friends of the Governor's Mansion would be used for specific non-construction purposes consistent with its established mission, such as restoration of fire-damaged trees alongside the Mansion.

For more information, call the Heritage Society of Austin offices at (512) 474-5198.

Mansion costs/renovations

While many people want to know who did it, others want to know if the mansion be restored and at what cost.

The state had already spent $1.8 million of the $10 million allotted to renovate the mansion.

Some of that plumbing and prep work will not be affected by the fire.

The money spent on the layout plan, site preparation, wall work and padding, however, is lost to the fire.

So what's next?

Once the criminal investigation wraps up, the State Preservation Board will assess the extent of the damage, remove anything that can be salvaged and form a new plan for renovations.

View the photo gallery of the mansion's interior damage