The Daniel Home Follows the Governor's Mansion Plans, Wings Included

The Jean and Price Daniel Home has something the Texas Governor's Mansion does not: two side wings from architect Abner Cook's original plans. Austin left the wings unbuilt because money ran short. The Liberty house includes them. Its railings and Ionic columns also follow Cook's Greek Revival design.

The resemblance largely stops at the front door. Apart from the entry hall and stairs, the inside does not copy the mansion. Work began in May 1982 and ended in December 1983. The house opened in April 1984.

Rooms hold the Daniels' library, papers, furniture, keepsakes, portraits, awards, and two paintings by Porfirio Salinas. In 1985, the Daniels gave the home and ten acres to TSLAC but kept the right to live there. The state took full ownership in October 1998. The result is both a family archive and a Texas design that Austin never built.