Capitol View Corridors
The Capitol is the heart of Austin. Completed in 1888, the red granite and limestone building is a reference point from almost any angle as you enter the downtown area. By law, the view must be clear on all sides, meaning that no tall buildings can block the protected Capitol sightlines. Thirty view corridors, each with secondary sightlines, converge on the Capitol from major Austin landmarks and vantage points. With the fast-paced growth of the city and developers eager for additional residential and commercial projects downtown, the City Council has formed a committee to evaluate the sightlines, with the possibility of eliminating some of them.
For years, these legal protections have ensured continued views of the State Capitol, the most prized and recognized symbol of Austin, and today they are more relevant than ever. With the action of the Austin City Council, these Capitol view corridors are endangered. The views are priceless and any modification to the view corridors would endanger a treasure that belongs to all Texans.
LEARN MORE: Downtown Commission - Downtown Development and Capitol View Corridors
2007: The Austin City Council asked the Downtown Commission to review the existing corridors and propose updates or modifications. The commission's final report, delivered on June 27, 2007, recommended that eleven of the thirty corridors be reconsidered or modified.
Local preservation organizations across the state voiced their opposition to wholesale revisions to the CVCs. The San Antonio Conservation Society, Preservation Dallas, Victoria Preservation, Inc., Greater Houston Preservation Alliance, Williamson County Historical Commission, Historic Waco, Historic Tyler, Galveston Historical Foundation, Historic Fort Worth, El Paso Historical Commission, Abilene Preservation Alliance, Historic Amarillo, Historic Mesquite, Historic Houston, and others joined the Heritage Society in opposition to the proposed revisions. No changes were ultimately made.
March 22, 2023: Preservation Texas Opposes Bill to Undermine Capitol View Corridors
AUSTIN'S LONG-ESTABLISHED CAPITOL VIEW CORRIDORS THREATENED
Proposed Bill (H.B. 4499) Would Obliterate View Corridors 15 and 17
House Bill 4499 led by Rep. Caroline Harris of Williamson County seeks to obliterate Capitol View Corridors 15 and 17 to facilitate overscaled development in an area of Austin long-protected by the State of Texas. The bill would exempt the half blocks north and south of East 7th Street between Red River and San Jacinto Streets. View Corridor 15, a sustained viewshed enjoyed by travelers on northbound I-35 between 3rd Street and the Waller Creek Plaza, and View Corridor 17, a long, stationary viewshed from Longhorn Shores Park on the southside of Lady Bird Lake, would no longer be protected and our State Capitol blocked from public view.
The Texas Legislature should ensure that public views of the historic Texas State Capitol, an international symbol of our state, remain protected. Passage of HB 4499 would set a dangerous precedent for arbitrary, special-interest legislation undermining the carefully-balanced regulations that have worked for nearly 40 years. Capitol View Corridors were last threatened in 2007, at which time they were placed on our Texas's Most Endangered Places list. What was true then remains true: "the views are priceless and any modification to the view corridors would endanger a treasure that belongs to all Texans."
The bill has not yet been assigned to a committee. We will be monitoring this bill closely.
Area to be exempted by HB 4499
View Corridors 15 & 17 to be blocked by HB 4499
ADDRESS: 1100 Congress Ave, Austin (Travis County)
CONDITION: Threatened
RESOURCE TYPE: Cultural Landscape
YEAR LISTED: 2007, 2013
