Entertainment & Sports
Grand Opera House 1894
Designed by Frank Cox of New Orleans, this Romanesque revival structure served as an opera house, hotel, and restaurant when it opened for its first season in 1895. Converted to a movie theater in the 1920s, it was restored in the 1970s and 1980s to once again serve as a venue for the performing arts. Prominent features of the building include its stone and terra cotta trim.
History
Greek Orthodox Cemetery
The only exclusively Greek Orthodox Church Cemetery in Texas, the Greek Orthodox Cemetery in Galveston was established in 1914. The local Hellenic Society purchased the original parcel. The cemetery was expanded when the Greek church initiated purchase of additional land in 1936.
Architecture
Greenleve, Block & Co. Building
This building, designed by Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton, was completed in 1882 for the wholesale dry goods firm of Greenleve, Block & Co., and is indicative of the elaborate commercial buildings designed by Clayton during the late 19th century. A series of dry goods firms operated at the site until 1919.
History
Greensville S. Dowell
(September 1822 - June 9, 1881) Virginia native Dr. Greensville S. Dowell moved to Texas in 1853. During the Civil War he served as a surgeon in the Confederate army in Galveston. He was instrumental in the founding of the Galveston Medical Society, Texas Medical College and Hospital, and the "Galveston Medical Journal," the first publication of its kind in Texas.
Transport
Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Company
In 1874 Galveston County voters narrowly approved $500,000 in bonds to finance construction of a railroad line from the city of Galveston that would bypass Houston, its business rival, and reach across Texas and beyond to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Henry Rosenberg, president of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Company (GCSF), broke ground at 37th and Mechanic Street on May 1, 1875.
History
Hagemann-Cobb House
This elaborate Italianate-Queen Anne style house was built in 1892 by Galveston grocer John Hagemann and his wife Jerusha. In 1932 the home was purchased by Thomas and Laura Ella Cobb. A city health inspector, Cobb was the head of the local Brewer's Union and was politically active in the community.
History
Heidenheimer-Hunter Building
Built in 1878 as a commercial venture by Samson Heidenheimer (d. 1891), this building was first occupied by the George Seeligson wholesale grocery business. It was leased to H. Marwitz & Co. in 1880. Owned by Hermann Marwitz, the company did business as ship chandlers and wholesale grocers, and remained in operation here until about 1900.
History
Hendley's Row
The commercial house of William Hendley & Co. was established in 1845 by William Hendley (1798-1873), his brother Joseph J. Hendley (d. 1887), John L. Sleight (1810-73), and Phillip Gildersleeve (1819-53). At the same time, they started the Texas and New York Packet Line with the firm of Brower and Neilson of New York, using a fleet of fast sailing ships.
History
Henry C. Henck, Jr. House
Built in 1893 as rental property, this house was an early investment of brothers August J. and Henry C. Henck, Jr., who began a real estate business in Galveston in 1901. H. C. Henck, Jr. chose it as his own residence in 1898, and it remained in the Henck family until 1974. The Victorian-era raised cottage features Eastlake-style detailing in its porch frieze and gable end.
History
Henry Journeay
Who served in the army of Texas, 1836 and was a member of the Mier Expedition, 1842. Born in New York, June 23, 1815; died July 2, 1870.
Architecture
Henry Rosenberg Home
Built 1859. Architectural and historical interest: formerly widely known for its art treasures and paintings. Much of the materials were imported form Switzerland. Elegant in design. Handcarved-plaster ceilings. Has 8 marble fireplaces. Outside structure is plaster over brick. Carved rosewood interior, high ceilings, and tall wall mirrors.
History
High Island
The coastal community of High Island sits atop a salt dome at the east end of Bolivar Peninsula. It was named High Island because the hill sits about 45 feet above sea, the only dry land visible during storms and flooding. Settled by Anglos in the early 1800s, nearly all of High Island lies within the Martin Dunman Survey, granted in 1837. The pioneers were mostly farmers, though George E.
Transport
Hitchcock Depot
According to local oral tradition, the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad (GCSF) gained a vital right-of-way through Emily Hitchcock's property in 1875 by agreeing to establish a depot named for her deceased husband, Lent Munson Hitchcock. GCSF platted the town of Hitchcock in 1891.
History
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
In the fall of 1899, a small group of Episcopalians living in Dickinson petitioned the Rt. Rev. George H. Kinsolving, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, to send a priest to minister to them. Bishop Kinsolving sent the Rev. A.J. Burnett, priest at Grace Mission in Alvin, to visit Dickinson.
History
Homesite of Adolph Dolson
Galveston native Adolph D. Dolson was the son of a Norwegian father and Irish mother who migrated here in the 1860s. An active businessman during the first half of the twentieth century, Dolson served four terms (1943-1950) as Galveston's finance commissioner. He also was a prominent civic and religious leader who received Papal honors for service to his community and to the Catholic Church.
History
Homesite of Dr. William Keiller
Born in Scotland and trained at Edinburgh University, Dr. William Keiller came to Galveston in the early 1890s to serve as the first professor of anatomy at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He remained in that capacity for 40 years, but also served for a time as the school dean and as president of the Texas Medical Association.
Architecture
Hotel Galvez
Built at a cost of $1,000,000, this hotel was financed by local businessmen and public subscribers to help the economy of Galveston following the 1900 hurricane. Completed in 1911, it was designed by the St. Louis firm of Mauran and Russell. The Spanish Colonial revival styling included a red tile roof and white stuccoed brick walls.
History
Hutchings House
John Henry Hutchings was born in North Carolina in 1822. After living in New Orleans for several years, he moved to Galveston in 1845. Two years later he entered into a partnership with John Sealy to sell dry goods in Sabine Pass. They returned to Galveston in 1854 and set up shop with George Ball, selling dry goods and trading commissions; by 1856, the firm of Ball, Hutchings and Co.
Architecture
Hutchings House
Erected in 1856 for businessman John Henry Hutchings and his new wife Minnie (Knox), this structure was designed to resemble an Italian villa. It was damaged in an 1885 storm, and noted architect Nicholas Clayton did the extensive repair and renovation work. By his design the house became a blend of the Romanesque and Renaissance Revival styles.
Architecture
Hutchings, Sealy & Co. Buildings
Four decades after joining in partnership, George Ball, John Henry Hutchings, and John Sealy employed prominent Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton to design office buildings for their Ball, Hutchings & Co. commission and banking operations.
History
Isaac H. and Henrietta Kempner House
At the time of his death in 1894 Polish immigrant Harris Kempner, age 57, was a leading Galveston businessman with interests in banking, insurance, railroads, and cotton. Isaac Herbert Kempner, age 21 and the eldest of Harris Kempner's eight children, took over his father's many businesses. In 1902 Isaac married Henrietta Blum, daughter of a prominent Galveston businessman.
History
Isabella Offenbach Maas Residence
Built in 1886, this residence was shared by Isabella O. Maas and her daughter and son-in-law, Rosana and Nathan Redlich. Active in civic and charitable organizations, Mrs. Maas lived here until her death in 1891. Dr. W. C. Fisher, city health officer, occupied the home from 1891 until 1928.
History
J. F. Smith House
Designed by Nathaniel Tobey, Jr., and built in 1884 for the family of John Francis Smith, this house is an excellent example of Italianate architecture. Prominent features of the house include paired brackets, a bay window, balcony, and hood moldings over large windows. Smith, who founded the J. S. Smith & Bro.
History
J. Levy & Bro.
Joseph Levy (1844-1922) with his brother Bernard "Ben" Levy (1849-1908) established the J. Levy & Bro. livery business in Galveston in 1868. Raised in the family livestock business in the French region of Alsace, the Levy brothers came to America with a keen knowledge of horses.
History
Jack Johnson
Galveston native Arthur John "Jack" Johnson (1878-1946) was the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion. He grew up in Galveston's east end and honed his fighting skills working on the Wharves. During the 1900 storm, Johnson helped his family escape from their home on Broadway. In 1901, he refined his defensive skills with the help of Joe Choynski while in jail for illegal boxing.
Elsewhere in Texas
Hear it from the road
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