Governor's Mansion Expansion Plan Withdrawn

State officials have shelved a plan to build an addition to the historic Texas Governor's Mansion that would have added 3,000 square feet of extra living space to the already 9,000 square foot residence.

John Sneed, executive director of the State Preservation Board, released a written statement that said the plan "has been withdrawn from further consideration." The proposal for the addition had come under fire recently by historic preservationists.

The Governor's Mansion was already undergoing renovations when an arsonist's fire gutted it in June 2008. According to Sneed's statement, the Preservation Board “wishes to continue to explore alternate ways of meeting space concerns in the restoration of the Governor’s Mansion."

The Texas Historical Commission is holding its quarterly meetings January 28 and 29 in Austin, and last Friday was the deadline for getting the permit for the plan on the meeting's agenda.

Several of Gov. Perry's opponents in the upcoming gubernatorial race had publicly criticized the plan, saying that the mansion had plenty of space for them to live and that the historical character of the 153-year-old mansion shouldn't be altered.