From Jacci Howard Bear,
Your Guide to Austin.
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Most visitors to the Texas State Capitol never venture to the floor below the main level. There is a modern underground portion, the Capitol Extension on the north side of the building, but there is also the basement beneath the main building that holds its own special treats.

Before the massive restoration project that began in 1991, the basement of the main building was a dark, crowded maze of offices and cubbyholes. Over the years portions of the large corridors were enclosed to make room for more office space. Ceilings were lowered to hide electrical wiring and air ducts.

After the restoration, the corridors are once again wide open spaces. While the architectural features on this level are less impressive than on the aboveground floors, there are still many interesting sights. The corridors extending to the east and west are lined with massive framed photos of the House and Senate members over the years. The area immediately below the rotunda floor, is encircled by columns and occasionally features artwork from Texas school children and other temporary exhibits.

At the end of each corridor is a small area that is beneath the stone steps at the east and west entrances to the main building. Iron gates give employees outside access. At certain times of the year the area fills with crickets. The basement is only partially underground as visitors can see from the outside where windows at ground level look down into basement level offices.

To the north, where the main building connects to the underground Capitol Extension (which is below the level of the basement) are permanent photo exhibits dedicated to Texans who served in both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and other conflicts. In that same area you'll find examples of the original furnaces that heated the building.

Only a few elevators go down to basement level. The easiest way to reach this floor is to go behind either of the massive staircases to the east or west of the rotunda area. Behind the doors under those staircases you'll find stairs leading down. If you are in the Capitol Extension, there are stairs leading from the upper level of the extension up to the main basement.

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