CityCity ofof GalvestonGalveston MidcenturyMidcentury ModernModern ArchitectureArchitecture
HistoricHistoric ResourcesResources SurveySurvey
DRAFT REPORT
Submitted July 2018
Prepared by: Cox|McLain Environmental Consulting, Inc. 8401 Shoal Creek Boulevard, Suite 100 Austin, Texas 78757 512‐338‐2223
McDoux Preservation, LLC. P.O. Box 1556 Kemah, Texas 77565 Kemah, Texas 77565 Cox|McLain Environmental Consulting, Inc.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents ...... ii
Appendices ...... iv
1. Introduction and Executive Summary ...... 1
1.1. Executive Summary ...... 1
2. Overview of Report ...... 5
2.1. Report Terminology ...... 5
2.2. Report Content ...... 6
3. National Register of Historic Places and Local Designation ...... 7
3.1. NRHP ...... 7
3.1.1. NRHP Significance ...... 7
3.1.2. NRHP Integrity ...... 8
3.1.3. NRHP Period of Significance ...... 8
3.1.4. NRHP Districts ...... 9
3.2. City of Galveston Local Designation ...... 9
3.2.1. Individual Local Landmarks ...... 9
3.2.2. Local Historic Districts ...... 10
4. Historic Research ...... 11
4.1. Previously Documented Resources ...... 11
4.2. Map and Photography Resources ...... 11
4.3. Local Resources ...... 12
4.4. Additional Source Material ...... 12
5. Historic Context ...... 14
5.1. Early Settlement (1817‐1838) ...... 15
5.2. Nineteenth‐Century City Development (1839‐1899) ...... 15
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5.3. The 1900 Hurricane and Its Aftermath (1900‐1914)...... 19
5.4. A Shifting Economy (1915‐1957)...... 21
5.5. Historic Preservation and Modern Galveston (1958‐1978) ...... 24
6. Architecture ...... 27
6.1. Midcentury Architecture in Galveston ...... 27
6.2. Midcentury Architects in Galveston ...... 27
6.2.1. Raymond R. Rapp Jr...... 27
6.2.2. Thomas M. Price ...... 28
6.2.3. Charles L. Zwiener ...... 29
6.2.4. Joseph F. Cooley ...... 29
6.2.5. Louis L. Oliver ...... 30
6.2.6. Tibor Beerman ...... 30
6.2.7. Ben J. Kotin ...... 31
6.3. Architectural Types and Styles ...... 31
6.3.1. Art Deco and Art Moderne ...... 32
6.3.2. Post‐War Modern ...... 33
6.3.3. Contemporary ...... 34
6.3.4. Ranch ...... 34
6.3.5. Styled Ranch ...... 35
6.3.6. Brutalism ...... 36
7. Survey Methodology ...... 37
7.1. Fieldwork Preparation ...... 37
7.2. Field Survey ...... 38
7.3. Post‐Field Processing and Evaluation ...... 38
8. Survey Results and Observations ...... 40
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8.1. Raymond R. Rapp Jr.‐Designed Buildings ...... 40
8.1.1. Raymond R. Rapp Jr.‐Designed Buildings Survey Result Summary ...... 40
8.1.2. Local Landmark Recommendations: Raymond R. Rapp Jr. Resources ...... 43
8.1.3. NRHP Recommendations: Raymond R. Rapp Jr. Resources ...... 44
8.2. The Harbor View Subdivision ...... 44
8.2.1. Harbor View Subdivision Overview ...... 45
8.2.2. Harbor View Survey Result Summary ...... 48
8.2.3. Local Landmark Recommendations: Harbor View ...... 50
8.2.4. NRHP Recommendations: Harbor View ...... 51
8.2.5. District Recommendation: Harbor View ...... 51
8.3. MCM Resources ...... 53
8.3.1. MCM Survey Result Summary ...... 53
8.3.2. Local Landmark Recommendations: MCM Resources ...... 55
8.3.3. NRHP Recommendations: MCM Resources ...... 57
10. Conclusion ...... 59
11. Sources ...... 60
APPENDICES
Appendix A Maps
Appendix B Inventory Table
Appendix C Survey Forms—Raymond R. Rapp Jr.‐Designed Resources
Appendix D Survey Forms—Harbor View Subdivision
Appendix E Survey Forms—Other MCM Resources
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1. INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Galveston, Texas, is renowned for having one of the most remarkable and intact collections of nineteenth‐century buildings in the United States. This commercial and residential architecture represents a period of wealth and prosperity resulting from the successes of the Port of Galveston during the nineteenth century. Lesser known is the city’s impressive mid‐twentieth‐century modern buildings, constructed between 1940 and 1975, and designed by architects such as Raymond R. Rapp Jr., Thomas Price, Charles Zwiener, Ben J. Kotin, Tibor Beerman, James F. Cooley, and Louis L. Oliver. Based on data from the Galveston Central Appraisal District, over 10,000 buildings were constructed in Galveston during this time period. Collectively, the buildings represent an important era in American architectural history as well in the development of Galveston. These mid‐twentieth‐century modern resources characterize a growing city focused on education, medicine, tourism, government, and new housing.
1.1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Image 1. City Hall with the Annex in rear, at left side of photograph. (Source: CMEC)
Over the past century, the City of Galveston has worked to strike a balance between preserving its historic resources and continued growth and development. In the summer of 2016, the City began plans to demolish the building in the rear (west side) of Galveston City Hall at 823 Rosenberg Street (see Image 1). This building, known as “the Annex,” was designed by Galveston architect Raymond R. Rapp Jr. in 1965 and houses a fire station and administrative offices. The demolition of the Annex and construction of a new fire station will use funds from a Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery. This use of federal funds requires compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic
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Preservation Act (NHPA). The Texas State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) determined that the Annex was eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion A for Government and Criterion C for Architecture, and it was determined that demolition of the resource would be an adverse effect under Section 106 of the NHPA.
In order to resolve the adverse effect of the demolition of the Annex, the City of Galveston and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) agreed to a mitigation plan. Cox|McLain Environmental Consulting, Inc. (CMEC) was retained by the City of Galveston in the fall of 2017 to undertake the agreed‐to historic resources survey and documentation mitigation project. The CMEC project scope involved the completion of a survey of mid‐twentieth century modern buildings in the City of Galveston, including:
1 Buildings constructed between 1940 and 1975 in a mid‐century modern architectural style, and 2 Buildings in Galveston designed by architect Raymond Rapp Jr.
Though the project called for a survey of Midcentury Modern resources in Galveston, the established survey period of 1940 to 1975 encompasses the Early, Midcentury, and Late Modern architectural movements. As such, in addition to documenting Midcentury Modern resources, Early Modern and Late Modern resources were also documented (see Section 6 for an explanation of common architectural styles). For the purposes of this report, since the primary purpose of this project was to document Midcentury Modern resources, all documented modern resources (Early, Midcentury, and Late Modern) are referred to collectively as “Midcentury Modern,” which is abbreviated as “MCM.”
In addition to its staff historians, the CMEC team includes Steph McDougal of McDoux Preservation, LLC. McDougal assisted with the research and development of recommendations for this project, including identification of MCM buildings, architect biographies, and a search for buildings attributed to Rapp Jr. and his partners.
This report describes the survey and documentation of MCM resources within the City of Galveston, including resources designed by Rapp Jr. CMEC worked with Catherine Gorman at the City of Galveston and local stakeholders to develop a list of MCM and Rapp Jr. resources to survey throughout the city. Additionally, CMEC conducted a comprehensive survey of the resources within the Harbor View subdivision, located at the northeast end of the island adjacent to Ferry Road. This survey and documentation project conforms to standards and guidelines set by the THC and the National Park Service (NPS) for conducting historic resource surveys.
CMEC historians conducted fieldwork in April 2018. Table 1 summarizes the number of resources documented in this project (hereafter known as the “2018 survey”).
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Table 1. MCM Resources Surveyed in Galveston (1940 to 1975)
Number Recorded
Raymond R. Rapp Jr.‐designed resources 31
Harbor View subdivision resources* 77
Other MCM resources 153
TOTAL 261
*Harbor View total excludes two resources attributed to Rapp Jr. that are captured in the Rapp Jr. total. As part of this survey, CMEC historians evaluated each resource and provided recommendations for NRHP‐eligible resources and potential local landmarks. Tables 2 and 3 summarize the eligibility recommendations from the 2018 survey.
Table 2. Resources Recommended for Individual Designation
Number Identified
Recommended for local landmark designation 29
Recommended for local landmark designation 4 and individual NRHP listing
Current local landmark recommended for 1 individual NRHP listing
TOTAL 34
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Table 3. Breakdown of Resources Recommended for Individual Designation
Raymond R. Rapp Harbor View Other MCM Jr. Designed Subdivision Resources Resources Resources
Recommended for local landmark 4 2 23 designation
Recommended for local landmark 0 0 4 designation and individual NRHP listing
Current local landmark recommended for 0 1 0 individual NRHP listing
TOTAL 4 3 27
CMEC surveyed a total of 261 resources: 31 designed by Rapp Jr.; 77 within the Harbor View subdivision; and 153 MCM resources distributed throughout the city. In all, 29 resources are recommended potential local landmarks, 4 resources are recommended as potential local landmarks and as eligible for the NRHP, and 1 current local landmark is recommended eligible for the NRHP. The Harbor View subdivision is not recommended eligible as a local district or NRHP district.
This report includes the methodology for the 2018 survey, a historic context for the City of Galveston focusing on the mid‐twentieth century, a brief biography of Rapp Jr. and other architects identified during the survey, common modern architectural styles found in Galveston, and the survey results.
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2. OVERVIEW OF REPORT
The primary purpose of this project was to complete a survey of MCM buildings in Galveston. This collection of buildings included those designed by the architect Raymond R. Rapp Jr. through 1975, select resources designed in the MCM style throughout the city, and resources in the Harbor View subdivision. CMEC used standards and guidelines for historic resources surveys and reports set by the NPS, the agency that administers the NRHP, and the THC, which is the SHPO in Texas. Historic‐age resources were evaluated based on criteria set by the NPS. These criteria for evaluation are discussed in detail in Section 3. Professional judgment supplemented the guidelines. A brief overview of report definitions and content are presented below.
2.1. REPORT TERMINOLOGY
Terminology in this report is based on standards set by the NPS and can be further referenced in “National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation” (NPS 2002c). Some resources are described in this report with a “Survey ID #.” This is a unique identification number assigned by CMEC to each surveyed historic‐age resource. See the table in Appendix B and inventory forms in Appendices C, D, and E for detailed information about each resource labeled with a Survey ID #.
The term “parcel” is used to refer to a legally defined piece of real estate. Typically, a piece of property (also known as a lot) that a business or individual owns and pays property taxes on is a single parcel. In some cases, more than one large historic‐age resource was located on a single parcel; these historic‐age resources were surveyed with separate inventory forms (see Appendices C, D, and E).
Lastly, it should be noted that the architect Rapp Jr. worked under his father Raymond R. Rapp Sr., who was also a Galveston architect. Rapp Sr. practiced architecture from 1921 until his death in 1959. Rapp Jr. joined his father’s firm in 1947 and served as office manager and apprentice until he received his architecture license in 1960. Rapp Jr. practiced architecture until his death in 2004. Sources consulted during this project did not consistently make a distinction between Rapp Sr. and Rapp Jr. when crediting the architect. In an effort to include the largest sampling of buildings that Rapp Jr. may have been involved in, resources designed by the firm beginning in 1947, when Rapp Jr. joined, were categorized as Rapp buildings and designated with an “R” prefacing the Survey ID #.
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2.2. REPORT CONTENT
This 2018 Historic Resource Survey Report includes a historic context, methodology, and survey results. Each component was utilized by CMEC to make recommendations for NRHP eligibility, local landmark designation, and further study.
Section 1 is the executive summary for the project, and Section 2 introduces project terminology and report components. Section 3 describes the NRHP, and how it is applied to the evaluation of historic resources. Section 4 is a review of research conducted as part of this project. Section 5 provides a brief narrative history for the City of Galveston, focusing on the mid‐twentieth century. The NPS recommends that a historic context be developed for a documented area or property to understand major trends and building types. This chronological context serves as the framework within which the NRHP criteria are applied to specific properties. It is also helpful when evaluating the historic significance of a property in relation to surrounding historic‐age resources. At the beginning of the project, CMEC conducted a literature review to understand Galveston’s history as it relates to settlement patterns, buildings types, and construction methods. Consequently, a context was developed to help the survey team identify and evaluate the historic‐age resources within the project area for NHRP eligibility. The sources consulted included historical maps, local oral history, library resources, and previous surveys.
Section 6 presents a biography of Rapp Jr., brief descriptions of MCM architects in Galveston, and the common types and styles of resources observed during the survey. These observations relate specifically to the survey area and may not reflect all styles of modern architecture in Galveston. They are intended to be used as a reference for interpreting these survey results, and it is not recommended that the City of Galveston adopt this types and styles section as the only modern architectural reference for the city. Section 7 describes the methodology used for field survey. Section 8 describes the evaluation methodology and results of the survey. This section also includes the identification of properties potentially eligible for the NRHP and properties that may be considered for designation as local landmarks. An evaluation of the Harbor View subdivision as a potential local and NRHP historic district is also provided. Section 9 is a brief conclusion and Section 10 lists the references consulted during the project.
Appendix A includes maps that illustrate survey findings. Appendix B includes an inventory table of survey results. Appendix C includes survey forms for the Rapp Jr. buildings documented in this survey, Appendix D includes survey forms for the resources documented in the Harbor View subdivision, and Appendix E includes survey forms for the additional MCM resources.
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3. NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES AND LOCAL DESIGNATION
The Rapp Jr. and MCM resources were evaluated for NRHP and local landmark eligibility. Resources within the Harbor View subdivision were also evaluated for NRHP and local landmark eligibility, and the neighborhood was evaluated as a whole for its potential as a local historic district and/or NRHP historic district. Individual MCM resources were evaluated within the Cedar Lawn and Denver Court NRHP Historic Districts. Though these NRHP districts may have potential eligibility as local historic districts, a local district evaluation of these two neighborhoods was outside the scope of this project. A brief overview of the NRHP program and associated terminology is presented below, followed by a brief overview of Galveston’s local landmark program.
3.1. NRHP
The NRHP is a federal list of historic properties deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. The list is administered by the NPS, and inclusion in the list is an honorary designation bestowed upon properties that meet registration criteria (for more information see www.nps.gov/nr). In general, for a property to be deemed eligible for inclusion in the NRHP, it must be at least 50 years old and must possess historic significance and integrity (NPS 2002c). Both individual properties and districts can be listed in the NRHP.
3.1.1. NRHP SIGNIFICANCE
The NPS has established four criteria under which a property may be significant; a resource must possess significance under at least one criterion to be listed in the NRHP. The four criteria are listed below.
Criterion A. Properties associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. Criterion B. Properties associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. Criterion C. Properties that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction.
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Criterion D. Properties that have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. (NPS 2002c) Since Criterion D generally applies to archeological resources, buildings evaluated as part of this survey were not evaluated for significance under Criterion D.
3.1.2. NRHP INTEGRITY
For a historic resource to be determined eligible for the NRHP, it must retain enough of its historic integrity to convey its significance (NPS 2002c). For the NRHP, there are seven aspects of integrity:
Location Materials Association Design Workmanship Setting Feeling
All seven aspects of integrity do not need to be present for a property to be eligible for the NRHP as long as the overall sense of a past time and place is evident. The level of integrity required for NRHP eligibility is also different for each of the four NRHP Criteria of Significance (NPS 2002c). For example, a property eligible under Criterion C should retain the aspects of integrity linked to its physical qualities (design, materials, and workmanship) to a higher degree than one that is eligible for its historical associations (Criterion A or B). However, a property that is eligible for its historical associations (Criterion A or B) should still possess sufficient physical integrity to be recognizably associated with the time or era in which it attained significance. Exterior alterations visible from the right‐of‐way affect the integrity of a resource. Design, materials, and workmanship are the aspects of integrity that are most commonly diminished as a result of alterations like additions, porch enclosures, and replacement siding, windows, or doors.
3.1.3. NRHP PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE
NRHP nominations must establish a “period of significance” (POS). According to the NPS, a POS is “the length of time when a property was associated with important events, activities, or persons, or attained the characteristics which qualify it for National Register listing” (NPS 1997). For individual properties significant under Criterion C for Architecture, the POS is typically the date of construction. For districts or properties that are eligible under other criteria where the significance may span a period of time, the POS may be a date range. NPS allows that 50 years ago may be “used as the closing date for periods of significance where activities begun historically continued to have importance and no more specific date can be defined to end the historic period” (NPS 1997).
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3.1.4. NRHP DISTRICTS
The Harbor View subdivision was evaluated for its potential as an NRHP historic district, which is a set of resources that are grouped together because they share a historic context. To be listed in the NRHP, a district must have enough properties within it that can convey the historic significance of the district. Therefore, each building within a district is classified as “contributing” or “noncontributing.” To be classified as a contributing resource, it must have been built within the POS and retain integrity (as discussed above). Noncontributing buildings may have been (1) built within the POS of the district but do not retain their historic character due to alterations, or (2) built after the POS of the district. Although there is no set requirement, successful NRHP District nominations typically encompass areas that are at least one block face in length with at least 50 percent of the buildings within the boundary classified as contributing.
3.2. CITY OF GALVESTON LOCAL DESIGNATION
The City of Galveston has a local landmark program called Galveston Landmarks which includes individual buildings, structures, or objects designated by the City Council, or resources within a locally designated historic district.
3.2.1. INDIVIDUAL LOCAL LANDMARKS
The City of Galveston established its landmark designation process on March 11, 1999, with Ordinance Number 99‐14. The ordinance outlined a set of criteria which would be taken into consideration during the review of a potential local landmark (City of Galveston 2018a). These criteria are outlined below.
Criterion 1. Association, of the structure, with events that have made significant contributions to the broad patterns of local, regional, state, or national history.
Criterion 2. Association, of the structure, with the lives of people significant in the city, region, state, or national past.
Criterion 3. Distinctive characteristics, of the structure, of a period or method of construction, architecture; representative of the work of a master designer, builder, or craftsmen.
Criterion 4. The character, interest, or value of the structure as part of the development, heritage, or cultural characteristics of the City of Galveston, Galveston County, the State of Texas, or the United States.
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Criterion 5. The structure's representation of an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community, or city.
Criterion 6. A structure, object, site, or building being considered for designation as a historic landmark must be at least 50 years old.
Criterion 7. Recognition of the structure as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, National Historic Landmark, or entered into the NRHP.
3.2.2. LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICTS
Per Galveston City code, potential historic districts are evaluated according to the same criteria presented above for individual local landmarks. Because the resources within the Harbor View subdivision share a common context, the neighborhood was evaluated for its potential as a local historic district.
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4. HISTORIC RESEARCH
The NPS recommends that a historic context be developed for a documented area or property to understand major trends and building types. This chronological context assists with evaluating the historic significance of a property in relation to surrounding historic resources. At the beginning of the project, CMEC conducted a literature review to understand Galveston history, focusing on the mid‐twentieth century, as it relates to settlement patterns, buildings types, and construction methods. Consequently, a context was developed (see Section 5) to help the survey team identify and evaluate the historic‐age resources within the project area for NHRP eligibility. The sources consulted included NRHP nominations, historical maps, and library resources.
4.1. PREVIOUSLY DOCUMENTED RESOURCES
One of the first resources referenced by CMEC historians when selecting buildings to survey was the Galveston Architecture Guidebook written by Ellen Beasley and Stephen Fox (1996). It provides a brief historic context for Galveston and describes over 700 notable buildings on the island, including buildings constructed in the mid‐twentieth century. A small photo is included for most, but not all, of the buildings in the book.
In addition, National Register nominations were referenced when selecting residential buildings for survey and developing the context. These nominations included the following districts:
‐ Cedar Lawn Historic District (NR #02001570) ‐ Denver Court Historic District (NR #01001471) ‐ Silk Stocking Residential Historic District (NR #96000539) ‐ East End Historic District (NR #75001979)
4.2. MAP AND PHOTOGRAPHY RESOURCES
CMEC used a variety of maps and imagery to assist with determining year‐built dates for buildings, identification of modifications, and historic function. These resources included historic plat maps, Google Street View imagery, and aerial photographs.
Select aerial images from 1954 to present are available through Google Earth (https://www.google.com/earth/) and were referenced to identify recent modifications and new construction. Historic aerial photographs referenced in this project included those from 1954, 1969, and 1974.
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4.3. LOCAL RESOURCES
During field work, CMEC conducted research in the reference section of the Rosenberg Library and at the Galveston and Texas History Center. Resources referenced included, but were not limited to the following:
Galveston and Texas History Center Vertical Files o Architects (Galveston) o Architecture (Galveston) o Rapp Partners, (The) (Architects) o Rapp, Raymond R. Jr. o Rapp‐Tackett‐Fash Architects and Planning Consultants o Price, Thomas M. (1916‐1998) o Loomis Construction Co. Historic Districts and Neighborhood Conservation, Galveston, Texas, October 29, 1976 (Ellen Beasley 1976) Saving Lives, Training Caregivers, Making Discoveries: A Centennial History of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (Chester R. Burns 2003) Portrait of Galveston Island (1300 Years of the City’s History) A.D. 700/800‐2000 (Mary W. Remmers 2002) The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston: A Seventy‐Five Year History (University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston 1967) Greetings From Galveston: A History From the 1870s to the 1950s Through Postcards, Volume 1 (E. Barry Gray 2015)
A full list of sources is included in Section 11.
Additionally, select buildings throughout Galveston had plaques with a building name and/or year‐built date. The information on these plaques was recorded but not relied on for survey records.
4.4. ADDITIONAL SOURCE MATERIAL
A variety of additional resources were also available to CMEC historians and were referenced to verify information, particularly relating to year‐built date, architect, and alterations. These sources included library archives and online digital archives.
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The Portal to Texas History (https://texashistory.unt.edu/), the Texas State Library and Archives Commission map collection (https://www.tsl.texas.gov/), and archives of The Galveston Daily News (at newspapers.com and newspaperarchive.com) provided valuable information. Additionally, the Thomas M. Price Collection, 1947‐1960, at the Alexander Architectural Archives at the University of Texas at Austin was also referenced.
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5. HISTORIC CONTEXT
Galveston is a barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico composed mainly of sand that has been carried to its shores by gulf currents. The city of Galveston is approximately 50 miles southwest of Houston and runs parallel to the Gulf Coast for nearly 27 miles. To the east of the island is Galveston Bay, which extends north for 30 miles and serves as a drainage basin for a number of creeks and rivers (McComb 1986). On the north side of Galveston Island are mudflats and salt marshes that are home to an abundance of wildlife and have attracted Native Americans and Euro‐American explorers for centuries. This area, known as the Galveston Channel, was later developed into Galveston’s prosperous port (see Error! Reference source not found.).
Image 2. John S. Swift Co. Map of Galveston, 1912‐1922. Dashed line indicates the Galveston Channel. (Reproduced from the Portal to Texas History.)
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5.1. EARLY SETTLEMENT (1817‐1838)
The first known inhabitants of Galveston Island were the Karankawa Indians. They inhabited the island from October to February every year to hunt and fish in the salt marshes (McComb 2016; NPS 2002b). Spanish exploration of the area began during the sixteenth century. Galveston Bay was named by Jose de Evia in the late eighteenth century after Bernardo de Galvez, a viceroy of Mexico (McComb 2016). The first substantial Euro‐American settlement on the island occurred in 1817 when Jean Lafitte, a French‐born pirate, established a settlement known as Campeachy. His first building, which is thought to have been near the present‐day East End Historic District, contained a residence, warehouse, and a fort called “Maison Rouge.” He conducted a variety of smuggling and privateering activities until the United States government evicted him in 1821 (NPS 2002b; Warren 2014). Four years later, Mexico established Galveston as a port of entry. Ships docked on the north side of the island in the Galveston Channel, located between Galveston and Pelican Island (see Error! Reference source not found.). The port was later used by the Texas Navy during the Texas Revolution in 1835 and 1836 (McComb 2016; Barker and Pohl 2017).
After the Revolution, Canadian‐born Michel B. Menard and several investors purchased the land that would become the City of Galveston from the Republic of Texas (City of Galveston 2018b). Galveston’s early founders were attracted by the natural harbor and its potential as a trading port for the southwest territory of the United States. By the end of 1836, approximately 60 families and 100 buildings occupied Menard’s small town (Galveston County Historical Commission 2018). Two years later, Menard helped organize the Galveston City Company to formally plat the city (NPS 2002b).
5.2. NINETEENTH‐CENTURY CITY DEVELOPMENT (1839‐1899)
The newly formed Galveston City Company hired New York‐based land surveyor John D. Groesbeck in 1838 to survey and plat the eastern end of Galveston Island (see Error! Reference source not found.). The plan was defined by a grid of rectangular blocks running east‐west with fourteen lots, each lot measuring 42 feet, 10 inches by 120 feet and bisected by a 20‐foot‐wide alley. East‐west streets were given alphabetical names, and north‐south streets were given numbers (Beasley 1996). South of M Street, “outlots” were created from large plots, the equivalent of four city blocks. These would eventually become occupied by large estates and later by subdivisions (Beasley and Fox 1996). Public spaces were also identified in the plan. Within the first year of platting Galveston, 700 lots were sold for about $400 each (Beasley and Fox 1996; NPS 2002b). Ellen Beasley notes in The Alleys and Back Buildings of Galveston: An Architectural and Social History, that the first homes on the island “were weatherboarded on the exterior and finished with plain boards” (1996: 15).
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Image 3. Richardson's Map of Galveston, 1959. (Reproduced from the Portal to Texas History.)
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Interiors were initially basic, and windows opened up to the favorable climate. This city plan was been retained and it has continued to shape the city, both physically and architecturally.
In January 1839, the City of Galveston was incorporated, and community growth accelerated. Galveston was developing as a significant port city (Cartwright 1991). It was the only deep‐water port between New Orleans and Tampico, Mexico, making Galveston essential to the import and export of goods and people for the entire United States (Galveston County Historical Commission 2018). The most significant export from the Port of Galveston during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was cotton. In turn, thousands of European immigrants and, prior to the Civil War, African slaves, entered the United States through Galveston. Many of the European immigrants, in particular Germans, chose to stay in Galveston rather than venture farther into the territory (Beasley and Fox 1996). A rivalry between Houston and Galveston developed as the port became more successful; however, the two cities were dependent on one another. Houston was dependent on Galveston’s port and Galveston was dependent on Houston’s access to larger markets across the country (NPS 2002b).
By 1860, the City of Galveston had a population of 6,127 whites, 1,178 slaves, and 2 free blacks (Beasley and Fox 1996). Just as the Civil War broke out, the Galveston, Houston, & Henderson Railroad (GH&H) finished construction of its stop in Galveston (NPS 2002b). Significantly, the railroad built a bridge from the mainland to Galveston, increasing accessibility (McComb 2016). After the Civil War ended, Galveston recovered remarkably quickly (Barnstone 2008). Many trade goods had been blocked or were scarce during the war, and the port capitalized on people’s need to replenish their goods. By 1880, Galveston had a population of 22,248. It was the largest of any city in Texas and the wealthiest city per capita in the state (McComb 2016; NPS 2002b).
According to Ellen Beasley and Stephen Fox in their 1996 publication Galveston Architecture Guidebook, the years 1870 to 1900 mark “the period that defined the city architecturally, and for which Galveston is most noted today” (1996: 5). While the late nineteenth‐century architecture of Galveston exhibits national architectural styles and trends, regional elements that were developed in response to the climate and topography are also apparent. Beasley and Fox state that “Galveston could be described as a vernacular city” (1996: 6). Residential buildings, in particular, often employed a combination of elements from different architectural styles, arranged plans and building openings to accommodate air flow, used available materials and faux painted finishes as necessary, and favored Texas symbols, such as the Lone Star, over classical decorative elements. Most major commercial, civic, educational, and religious buildings were designed by architects, five of which are listed in the 1881‐1882 Galveston City Directory (Beasley and Fox 1996). Irish‐born Nicholas Clayton was one of the most prominent architects of the era and employed an ornate High Victorian style (Nesbitt and Fox 2010).
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By the end of the nineteenth century, Galveston had some of the finest restaurants and homes in the nation. It became the first city in the state of Texas to have telegraphs, telephones, electric‐ powered houses, streetlights, and trolleys (Galveston County Historical Commission 2018). It also developed with a higher density than other cities in Texas. It was common for several structures to occupy one lot due to space constraints on the island. Communities developed in the alleys, particularly to house African Americans and staff for the larger houses (Beasley and Fox 1996).
In addition to developing the built environment of the city, Galveston also sought to establish institutions and military installations on the island. The city was awarded the state medical school in 1881 (McComb 2016). Construction was delayed for several years as the main University of Texas at Austin was under construction. In 1891, the University of Texas Medical Department opened the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) at the northeast end of the island, soon expanding to adjacent blocks (Beasley and Fox 1996). From the beginning, UTMB was a multi‐disciplinary school and had teaching facilities for medicine, pharmacy, and nursing. It was funded by a combination of tax dollars and private donations, notably from the Sealy family, and would play an important role in the city. At the end of the nineteenth century, UTMB was the largest employer in Galveston County and had five campus buildings, including the John Sealy Hospital, Old Red (the original Clayton‐designed campus building), the Nurse’s Home, University Hall, and a hospital for African Americans (Burns 2003). Six years after UTMB opened, the City acquired a coast guard station and a military base called Fort Crockett (McComb 2016). Although Galveston had both public and private funding support to establish substantial institutions and its port is in a prime location, the city is located in an area vulnerable to hurricanes. At least 11 major hurricanes hit Galveston Island during the nineteenth century (McComb 1986).
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5.3. THE 1900 HURRICANE AND ITS AFTERMATH (1900‐1914)
Image 4. Map of damage from the 1900 Galveston Hurricane showing areas of total destruction (black), partial destruction (gray) and water encroachment (hatchmark). (Reproduced from the Houston Post; Source: Galveston and Texas History Center.)
On September 8, 1900, a major hurricane swept through Galveston, killing between 6,000 and 12,000 people in the city and destroying more than 3,600 buildings across 1,500 acres (NPS 2002a; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2017). According to newspaper reports, over 75 percent of buildings were damaged, and only a small portion of the center of the island was spared entirely (see Image 4). To date, it is one of the most destructive natural disasters in American history and it was the defining event of the City of Galveston’s history (Beasley and Fox 1996).
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In response to the destruction, the City constructed a seawall, raised the grade of city blocks to prevent flooding, and constructed a durable concrete bridge to connect the island with the mainland (Wright‐Gidley and Marines 2008). The seawall was first considered by city officials in 1886 as a way to create a buffer between the city and the gulf; however, it was deemed an inefficient use of funds at the time (Wright‐Gidley and Marines 2008). After the 1900 Image 5. Undated image of the Galveston Seawall. (Reproduced from the Portal to Texas History.) hurricane, a 3.5‐mile‐long concrete concave seawall was constructed. It was completed in 1904 and later extended to 10 miles in length. It was designed to be approximately 17 feet high above low tide, with a 15‐foot‐wide base that tapers to the top (NPS 2002a).
In addition to the seawall, the City also decided to raise the level of the majority of the city. Many downtown commercial buildings were already built three to five feet above the street level to easily unload goods from wagon beds and prevent flooding; however, most residential buildings were built at grade (Barnstone 2008). Sand from the gulf floor was pumped under buildings, raising the grade 17 feet in some cases. Infrastructure, utilities, and 2,146 buildings were raised, including a 3,000‐ton church (Weems 2016). Engineers worked in 12‐block sections, raising individual buildings and infilling underneath. Sidewalks were elevated on stilts to connect buildings until construction was finished (NPS 2002a). After completion of the seawall, the City of Galveston began working to entice tourism, especially auto‐related visitors, to the island. A number of bath houses, restaurants, and hotels opened, as well as two major amusement parks—the Electric Park and the Chutes Park (Wright‐Gidley and Marines 2008). The grand Hotel Galvez opened on Seawall Boulevard in 1911, offering luxurious accommodations for guests (Jones 2013).
Although the hurricane caused minimal damage to the port itself, some businesses moved out of Galveston, and investors grew insecure about long‐term prospects in a hurricane‐prone city (Gray 2015). Investment in Galveston decreased, and competition with nearby ports in Houston and Texas City increased (Galveston County Historical Commission 2018). The Spindletop oilfield near Beaumont was discovered in 1901 and initiated the modern Texas oil and gas industry (Wooster and Sanders 2016). Oil‐related corporations, refinery plants, pipelines, and storage units began rapidly developing across Texas, and Houston became the center of the booming new industry (Wooster and Sanders 2016; NPS 2002a). In 1914, Houston constructed the 50‐mile‐long, deep
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water Houston Ship Channel and was no longer reliant on Galveston (NPS 2002a; Beasley and Fox 1996). Exports halted during World War I (WWI), but in 1919, the first shipment of cotton left the port of Houston. Within a decade, Houston overtook Galveston as the leading exporter of cotton in the nation (Sibley 2017).
Another powerful hurricane made landfall in 1915, but Galveston’s population, buildings, and infrastructure sustained minimal damage due to the preventative measures taken. Despite this, Galveston never regained its importance as a port and commercial center (NPS 2002a). Neighboring Houston and its emerging oil and gas industry overtook Galveston as the leading economy on the Gulf Coast. Galveston shifted its focus to tourism as the base of its economy during the twentieth century.
5.4. A SHIFTING ECONOMY (1915‐1957)
Due to the high costs of the seawall and raising the city, Galveston did not have the resources to make early investments in the oil industry or related infrastructure (NPS 2002a). Little residential and commercial construction occurred during the early part of the twentieth century, as all efforts focused on hurricane recovery and prevention (Beasley and Fox 1996). The city maintained its prominence as a port city through WWI and was the largest cotton port in the world and the third largest for the export of wheat when the war started (City of Galveston 2018). After the port of Houston opened and Galveston’s port decreased in importance, the City of Galveston became known as a center for vices, including drinking, gambling, and prostitution (NPS 2002a).
Salvatore “Sam” and Rosario “Rose” Maceo, two brothers from Sicily, Italy, were the most prominent figures in Galveston’s gambling and nightlife scene. The Maceos moved to Galveston in 1910 to work as barbers at a shop called Capadona’s and later at the Galvez Hotel (Nieman 2008). At the time, there were two gangs in Galveston: the “Beach Gang,” led by Ollie Quinn and Dutch Voigt, and the “Downtown Gang,” led by George Mosey and Johnny Jack Nounes, “the Beau Brummel of Galveston” (Nieman 2008; McComb 1986). Voight started running the first poker games in town, and soon the Beach Gang controlled gambling across the island. After prohibition, Voight also began bootlegging liquor and recruited the Maceo brothers to assist him. The three men entered a formal partnership in 1923 and the Maceos quickly moved up the ranks of the Beach Gang. They began buying up clubs in the mid‐1920s, and by the Great Depression, Sam and Rose ran both the Beach Gang and the Downtown Gang (Nieman 2008). Sam was the public face of the operation and Rose was the enforcer (Boatman et al. 2014).
In 1942, the Maceo brothers opened the Balinese Room (see Image 6) on a pier off Seawall Boulevard at 21st Street. The legendary dance hall and casino was lavishly decorated and featured
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acts such as Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, and the Marx Brothers (Jones 2013; Boatman et al. 2014). By this time, Sam and Rose owned or were partners in over 60 businesses across Galveston and employed nearly 2,500 people (Nieman 2008). The Maceo brothers engaged in gambling and liquor businesses but avoided the local prostitution industry. There were more than 50 brothels were on Postoffice Street and the city had the highest
Image 6. Postcard of the Balinese Room, undated. (Image ratio of prostitutes to citizens (1:62) in Reproduced from the Bryan Museum.) the United States (Nieman 2008; Boatman et al. 2014). Because of all the illegal activity, the city was colloquially known as the “Free State of Galveston” (Boatman et al. 2014). To ensure that visitors felt comfortable coming to the island, the Maceo brothers, among other business owners, worked to ensure the city was safe from violence or theft.
No longer dominated by port activities, Galveston’s new buildings after WWI accommodated varied interests, including cotton, banking, retail, gambling and nightlife, tourism, and expanding residential developments (Beasley and Fox 1996). Areas adjacent to and beyond the original Groesbeck plan developed during the 1920s. Architects such as Rapp Sr., John F. Staub, and Cameron Fairchild began designing houses in the West End, which extends south of Broadway Avenue from 40th Street to the west and 23rd Street to the east (Beasley and Fox 1996). High‐end MCM houses and buildings were constructed across the island. Sam Maceo and several of his lieutenants had modern homes built in the prestigious Cedar Lawn subdivision (see Survey ID #C104 and Survey ID #C107). Modern homes were also built in the Denver Court and Harbor View subdivisions (see Appendices D and E for select MCM resources from these subdivisions).
Modern amenities, such as the Galveston Municipal Airport (now the Scholes International Airport; see Image 7; Survey ID #4), opened to accommodate the growing population and tourist industry. Motels catering to casino and motor tourists also opened during the midcentury (Scholes International Airport Image 7. Scholes International Airport Terminal, Galveston 2018). The Moody family opened the Jack 1950. (Reproduced from the Scholes Tar Court Hotel in 1953 at East Beach Drive and Sixth International Airport website., 2018.) Street. It was designed by John J. Croft, Jr. and H. S.
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Shannon and was expanded over the decade. On East Beach Drive, architect Thomas Price designed the Sandpiper Motel, owned by Dr. Edmond Henderson, in 1963. The Seahorse Motel opened on Seawall Boulevard in 1956, designed by architects Thomas Price and John Buckhart (see Image 8). The hotel was owned by Frances Moody and featured a circular restaurant and office building next to the pool (Jones 2013). All four of these Image 8. Postcard of the Seahorse Motel. (Reproduced from motels have been demolished in recent cardcow.com.) years.
During the 1940s, the city also began to infill the East End Flats, the city’s former trash dump, to the east of UTMB beyond the original Groesbeck plan. This development is a mix of post‐World War II (WWII) resources that continue the spatial plan of the original town as well as mid‐century suburban developments (Beasley and Fox 1996). The first subdivision to be developed on filled land was Lindale Park, where construction of 182 moderately priced residences started in 1949. The San Marino neighborhood followed in 1952. In 1954, plans were announced for the waterfront, high‐end Harbor View subdivision (Greene n.d.). The neighborhood was laid out in 1954 by Houston landscape architect Herbert Skogland for the Harbor View Development Company. Located on the Galveston Channel and close to UTMB, Harbor View continues to attract doctors and their families (Beasley and Fox 1996). Altogether, 13 subdivisions were platted in Galveston between 1950 and 1960 (Galveston Daily News 1960).
After WWII, Chauncey Leake, Vice President of UTMB, began plans for an extensive expansion and modernization of the campus. New buildings included a hospital, an independent tuberculosis hospital, an office building, an apartment building, a women’s dormitory, fraternity houses, and a power plant. (Burns 2003).
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From the 1930s through the 1950s, authorities periodically shut down illegal activities in Galveston; however, for the most part, laws were relatively relaxed (McComb 1986). Sam and Rose Maceo passed away in 1951 and 1954, respectively, and Las Vegas was becoming a new, powerful, and legal center for gambling in the United States. In 1957, Texas attorney general Will Wilson began a campaign to end gambling in Galveston permanently. He sent the Texas Rangers to raid the gambling rooms across the island (Nieman 2008). The front page of the June 21,
1957, Galveston Daily News reads “Attorney Image 9. Texas Ranger Smashing Slot Machine, 1957. General Here as Slots Go Overboard” (Source: Tom Colburn for the Houston Chronicle.) (Galveston Daily News, 1957a). Over 2,500 slot machines were destroyed by Texas Rangers and many clubs and restaurants formerly owned by the Maceo brothers, including the Balinese Room, began to shutter (see Image 9; Nieman 2008).
5.5. HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND MODERN GALVESTON (1958‐1978)
In 1958, Galveston was faced with reinventing itself for a third time. The port still had not regained prominence and the elements of “sin city” were no more. Additionally, after WWII, Galveston began struggling with economic and social challenges related to its diverse economy. There was a growing disparity between the low‐paid and often seasonal service industry and the wealthier community. Between 1958 and 1978, the City of Galveston shifted its focus to new construction, preservation of its historic resources, support of its educational institutions, and tourism.
After gambling was outlawed, many related commercial buildings were demolished, and building owners in the downtown area began to modernize the storefronts of their nineteenth‐century buildings and construct parking lots to cater to the automobile tourism in the area (Beasley and Fox 1996). In 1958, Emmett O. Kirkham was appointed by the Galveston Chamber of Commerce to chair a committee exploring the possibility of establishing a merchant marine training academy in Galveston. Texas A&M University agreed to sponsor and administer the school and it opened in 1962. In 1967, the new Galveston County Courthouse, designed by Rapp Jr. opened, as well as Galveston College (Henck 1994). Galveston now had three substantial academic institutions: Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston College, and UTMB.
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In April 1963, UTMB embarked on a second major building phase, which called for a basic sciences building, an animal care center, a clinical sciences building, outpatient facilities, acquisition of new land, and remodeling of existing buildings (Burns 2003). This included the 1972 Administration Building and the 1963 Physical Plant Building designed by Rapp Jr. (Survey ID #R32 and #R29). The new master plan also called for the demolition of the Ashbel Smith Building, also known as “Old Red.” The University abandoned the building and allowed it to deteriorate until the Galveston Historical Foundation campaigned for its preservation and rehabilitation in 1986 (Johnson 2009). The East End Historic District NRHP nomination notes that UTMB was responsible for demolition of historic resources in Galveston during its campus expansion (NPS 1975).
Virginia and Lee McAlester observe in A Field Guide to America’s Historic Neighborhoods and Museum Houses that it is “economy decline—always the great preserver of historic architecture” that helped to retain such as large concentration of Victorian architecture in Galveston (1998). Although a large number of nineteenth‐century buildings had been retained, everything from elaborate mansions to dilapidated boarding houses were being demolished and replaced. For example, in 1960 the 1871 J. D. Skinner home was replaced with an MCM‐style doctor’s office at 1501 Broadway (Survey ID #64). During the 1960s, local foundations and citizens began to recognize the valuable resources in the city, partly inspired by a book called The Galveston That Was by Howard Barnstone featuring photographs by the legendary photographer Henri Cartier‐ Bresson with Ezra Stoller (1965). In addition to preserving local history, citizens realized the potential for heritage tourism and campaigned to preserve and restore these resources (McAlester and McAlester 1998). A Development Plan for Historical Zoning and a Historical Zoning District Ordinance was adopted by the City Council in 1970 (City of Galveston 2018b). Two years later, a Historical District Guide provided standards for review of projects in residential districts (City of Galveston 2018b). During the 1970s, the Galveston Historical Foundation began to successfully designate and preserve districts throughout the city. In 1971, the Galveston City Council designated the local East End Historical District, and four years later a 52‐block district was listed in the NRHP (Johnson 2009). The Strand was designated as a National Historic Landmark District and remains one of the most intact nineteenth‐century commercial districts in the nation (Beasley and Fox 1996). The Silk Stocking District was designated as a local historic district in 1975 and listed in the NRHP in 1996. The goal of establishing these districts was to prevent demolition and preserve existing resources.
Weather events have also led to the loss of historic buildings across the island. Hurricane Carla made landfall in 1961 causing seven deaths and the destruction of multiple buildings. A tornado that spawned from the weather event moved south on 23rd Street from Avenue N and over to 21st Street. Midcentury construction, including the Elks Lodge at 1518 23rd Street (Survey ID #69) and the El Mina Shriners buildings at 1616 Tremont Street (Survey ID #70) replaced tornado‐
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damaged early twentieth‐century buildings (Johnson 2009). This was the most severe hurricane to hit Galveston since 1900.
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6. ARCHITECTURE
This section provides a brief discussion of MCM architecture in Galveston, the architects who designed buildings in this style in Galveston, and the most common sub‐styles of modern buildings observed in this survey.
6.1. MIDCENTURY ARCHITECTURE IN GALVESTON
While the citizens of Galveston were advocating for the preservation of historic buildings, new MCM buildings were also being constructed. Architects such as Raymond Rapp Jr., Thomas Price, Tibor Beerman and Ben Kotin, Irving Phillips, Jr., Louis L. Oliver, Charles L. Zwiener, and James F. Cooley were designing modern residential, commercial, educational, and civic resources for all areas of the city. These architects sometimes collaborated on projects, such as the Galveston County Courthouse (Survey ID #R23), designed by Rapp Jr. & Associates and Kotin & Beerman and the Rosenberg Elementary School (Survey ID #R31), designed by Price, Kotin & Beerman, Rapp Jr. & Associates, and Zwiener.
6.2. MIDCENTURY ARCHITECTS IN GALVESTON
6.2.1. RAYMOND R. RAPP JR.
Raymond Rudolf Rapp, Junior was born in 1920, a year before his family moved to Galveston. His father, Raymond R. Rapp, Senior (1896‐1959) was educated at the University of Louisville, worked for various architecture firms in Kentucky and Texas, and served in the U.S. Army during WWI, before moving to Galveston in 1921. Rapp Jr. attended two years of college prior to serving in WWII (Texas Architect 1982). In 1947, he joined his father’s firm and worked as an apprentice. He took over as office manager when his father died in 1959, earned his architecture license (#2507) in 1960, and became the firm’s sole owner that year. In 1964, he designed his own home at 1009 Harbor View Dr (Survey ID #R33). By the time he became a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1982, he had been involved in approximately 1,400 projects in the Galveston‐Houston area (Texas Architect 1982). He died at the age of 84 in 2004.
A retrospective on the Rapp architecture firm for its 50th anniversary in 1971 noted that “the history of Galveston can be traced by the record books of Rapp Tackett Fash” (Angerstein 1971). The firm, established in 1921, was renamed Raymond R. Rapp and Associates in 1963, following the death of Rapp Sr. By 1971, the firm had added Gerald Tackett and Ronald Fash as general partners and opened an office in Houston.
Examples of Rapp Jr.’s extant projects in Galveston include:
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‐ David G. Burnet Elementary School, 5511 Avenue S, 1960 (Survey ID #R4)
‐ St. Mary's Cathedral School, 2011 Church Street, 1962 (Survey ID #R22)
‐ E. C. Northen Memorial Scout Service Center, 3020 53rd Street, 1963 (Survey ID #R5)
‐ Rapp Jr.’s personal residence, 1009 Harbor View Drive, 1964 (Survey ID #R33)
‐ Ursuline Academy, 2601 Avenue N, 1964 (Survey ID #R12)
‐ Gulf Breeze Housing Development, 1211 Moody, 1969 (Survey ID #R15)
‐ Engineering Building, TAMU‐Galveston: Mitchell Campus, 1971 (Survey ID #R9)
6.2.2. THOMAS M. PRICE
Called “Galveston’s foremost modern architect” by historian Stephen Fox, Thomas M. Price was born in Virginia in 1916 and graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) with a bachelor’s degree in 1938. He went on to study architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design under the preeminent Bauhaus architects Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer, graduating in 1941. He then returned to VPI as a professor. Price briefly worked near Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as a designer and draftsman for Gropius and Breuer in their joint practice, as well as for Hugh Stubbins (also on the Harvard faculty), and for Oscar Stonarov, whose 1940s‐era partnership with Louis Kahn was located in Philadelphia. A commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy during WWII, Price was stationed in Galveston and made his home there after the war ended, opening his own firm in 1947. In the late 1960s, he was in practice with Ben Kotin and Tibor Beerman; the firm developed the Galveston College Master Plan. Price was an early preservationist, publishing two planning guides for the city’s Victorian architecture in the early 1970s. After retiring, Price moved to Fredericksburg, Texas (Alexander Architectural Archive n.d.).
Examples of Price’s extant projects in Galveston include:
‐ Caravageli House, 4420 Caduceus Place, 1953 (Survey ID #D9)
‐ Theta Kappa Psi fraternity building, 515 Postoffice Street, 1954 (Survey ID #D111)
‐ Cokins House, 4603 Sherman Boulevard, c. 1957 (Survey ID #D5)
‐ Mehos House, 1306 Harbor View, 1958 (Survey ID #H28)
‐ Galveston Artillery Club, 3102 Avenue O, 1959 (Survey ID #54)
‐ Island Elementary School auditorium/gymnasium, 6802 Jones Drive, 1960 (Survey ID #13)
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‐ Office building (for Price’s own offices), 3901 Broadway Avenue, 1963 (Survey ID #504)
6.2.3. CHARLES L. ZWIENER
Schulenberg, Texas, native Charles Lindley Zwiener graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1938. After marrying his wife Mary Jane in 1942, Zwiener moved to Galveston, where he worked as a marine architectural engineer, supervising the design and construction of the dry docks used to raise ships sunk at Pearl Harbor. He remained in Galveston after the war and opened his own architecture office in the Cotton Exchange Building, where he worked until his retirement in 1986. Zwiener designed homes throughout the island, including several in the Denver Addition, for which he was noted as “bringing Modernism to the West End” by Stephen Fox. He also designed school buildings for churches, the Galveston ISD, and Galveston College as well as commercial and institutional buildings. He was also involved in the restoration of many historic buildings on the Strand and elsewhere in the 1970s and 1980s and worked as a consultant to the Galveston Historical Foundation (Findagrave.com 2018).
Examples of Zwiener’s extant projects in Galveston include:
‐ Zwiener’s personal residence, 5012 Sherman, 1949 (Survey ID #D1)
‐ Galveston Municipal Airport, 2115 Terminal Drive, 1950 (Survey ID #4)
‐ Smith Residence, 5016 Sherman, 1950 (Survey ID #D2)
‐ Prets Lumber Company building, 2027 45th Street, 1960 (Survey ID #33)
6.2.4. JOSEPH F. COOLEY
Very little is known about architect Joseph F. Cooley. In 1947‐1952, the Galveston City Directories list Cooley as an architect with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 1953, Cooley went to work for Thomas Price as an associate; he left Price to go into business for himself in 1963 (Galveston Daily News 1963). Extant Cooley buildings include the W. L. Moody & Co. Bankers building (1955, Survey ID #78), a commercial building at 1601 Broadway Avenue (1965; Survey ID #93), and Ashton Place Apartments (1970; Survey ID #16). In 1970, he worked as an associate with the Houston firm of Pierce & Pierce to design the Bankers Savings and Loan Association building at 601 Tremont (Survey ID #79; now a post office) (Galveston Daily News 1970). The 1973 Jack S. Evans House at 38 Adler Circle (Survey ID #26) is noted in the Galveston Architecture Guidebook as Cooley’s “foremost independent work” (Beasley and Fox 1996).
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6.2.5. LOUIS L. OLIVER
Louis L. Oliver was raised primarily in Galveston by his divorced father, Louis Wooten Oliver, and sister Kathryn; he spent summers with his mother Ida in Houston, where he was born. As a young adult, Oliver served briefly in the U.S. Merchant Marine and worked as an airline radio operator, before joining his father’s Galveston County construction business in 1948. He was licensed as an architect in 1961, at the age of 34 (GuidryNews.com 2018). Oliver was in practice with his son, David Oliver, and Tibor Beerman in the 1970s and 1980s. He had an office in the raised basement of the Wilkens House at 1428 Broadway from 1966 to 1994 (Galveston Daily News 1984). Most of Oliver’s work in Galveston was constructed after 1970.
Examples of Oliver’s extant projects in Galveston include:
‐ Sol Druss House, 2922 Dominique Drive, 1966 (Survey ID #7)
‐ Round House, 21731 Frio Drive, 1966 (Survey ID #1)
‐ The Commodore, 3608 Seawall Boulevard, 1966 (Survey ID #49)
‐ Palms Motel, 1628 Seawall Boulevard, 1969 (Survey ID #95)
‐ Central Christian Church, 2702 Avenue O ½, 1969 (Survey ID #63)
‐ Materials Management Warehouse, 1302‐1324 Mechanic Street, 1973 (Survey ID #96)
6.2.6. TIBOR BEERMAN
Tibor Eliahu Beerman was born in Czechoslovakia; a survivor of the Holocaust, he migrated to the United States in 1947 and studied architecture at the University of Texas at Austin before settling in Galveston in 1952. He was in partnership with Ben Kotin during the 1950s–1960s and with Louis Oliver in the 1970s–1980s. He appears to have retired in the late 1980s; he moved to Georgetown, Texas, following Hurricane Ike in 2008 (The Daily News 2015).
Examples of Beerman’s extant projects in Galveston include:
‐ Congregation of Beth Jacob addition, 2401 Avenue K, 1963 (Survey ID #68; Kotin & Beerman)
‐ Rankin & Becker Insurance Agency building, 622 22nd Street, 1963 (Survey ID #80; Kotin & Beerman)
‐ Baxter House, 1309 Harbor View Drive, 1964 (Survey ID #H9; Kotin & Beerman)
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‐ Residence at 36 Adler Circle, 1966 (Survey ID #25; Kotin & Beerman)
6.2.7. BEN J. KOTIN
Born in Poland, Benjamin J. Kotin and his family came to Galveston in 1921. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture in 1936. After serving in the South Pacific during WWII as a member of the U.S. Air Force, Kotin returned to Galveston and opened his architectural practice in 1946 at 4928 Broadway (Galveston Daily News 1993; Galveston Daily News 1946). He was in practice with Tibor Beerman in the 1950s and 1960s; his twin brother Sol Kotin (1912–2001) was also part of that practice in the 1960s. The Kotin Brothers designed and owned the Treasure Isle Motel at 1002 Seawall (1963) and maintained offices there. Ben Kotin discontinued practicing architecture in 1992.
In addition to the projects he designed with Beerman (see above), examples of Kotin’s extant projects in Galveston include:
‐ Novelli Residence, 6 Cedar Lawn Circle, 1955 (Survey ID #C109)
‐ Cotton Compress Workers Building, 2626 Market Street, 1957 (Survey ID #61)
‐ Kotin’s personal residence, 5209 Denver Drive, 1958 (Survey ID #D12)
‐ Treasure Isle Motel, 1002 Seawall Boulevard, 1963 (Survey ID #103; Kotin & Beerman)
6.3. ARCHITECTURAL TYPES AND STYLES
CMEC documented a total of 261 historic‐age resources with a variety of architectural styles that represent the development of the City of Galveston between 1940 and 1975. The following section discusses the common architectural styles and types of buildings documented in the 2018 survey.
Each historic‐age property in the district was categorized based on form and style using the categories provided on the THC form and in Virginia Savage McAlester’s A Field Guide to American Houses (2015). Form refers to the shape of a building and is identified by characteristics such as plan, height, and massing. A building with a particular style was “built with at least some attempt at being fashionable” (McAlester 2015:5). Style is expressed through detailing, materials, shape, and decorative elements. Some buildings may have both an identifiable form and style, while others may have an identifiable form, but no recognizable style.
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In describing the forms and styles below, the THC Historic Resources Survey Manual was utilized for reference, as well as the McAlester field guide (2015). Common forms and styles observed in the survey include:
• Art Deco • Art Moderne • Post‐War Modern • Contemporary • Ranch • Styled Ranch • Brutalist
The next section provides a brief overview of each these forms and styles, information about identifying features, and examples from the survey area. McAlester’s A Field Guide to American Houses is considered by historic preservation professionals and architectural historians practicing within the United States to be the standard guide for the identification of domestic buildings, and CMEC recommends the City use it as a reference for further information about forms, styles, and architectural features common to each style.
6.3.1. ART DECO AND ART MODERNE
Art Deco and Art Moderne are modernistic styles of architecture utilized in the United States from 1920 to 1940. They reflect the Early Modern era of architecture. Art Deco persisted through 1930, and Art Moderne is seen from about 1930 to 1940. In general, these modernistic styles were applied to commercial, civic, and social architecture and are less common in Image 10. An Art Moderne style residence at 15 Cedar Lawn Circle. (Survey residential design. ID #C108; Source: CMEC.)
Identifying characteristics of the Art Deco style of architecture include the following:
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Smooth wall texture, often in stucco Decorative motifs including zigzags, chevrons, and geometric shapes Vertical emphasis, often with the use of vertical projections or towers on the roof
Identifying characteristics of the Art Moderne style of architecture include the following:
Smooth wall texture, often in stucco Flat roof Asymmetrical façade Emphasis on horizontality, often with the use of horizontal lines or indentions in the exterior walls
6.3.2. POST‐WAR MODERN
The Post‐War Modern style in the United States spanned from 1940 through 1960 and was applied to buildings of all functions. After WWII, a boom in the construction industry and newly available materials allowed architects to further refine the modernist style of the pre‐WWII era.
Identifying characteristics of this style include the following:
Lack of ornamentation Box‐like form Large planes or bands of glazing
Image 11. A Post‐War Modern style building at 3020 53rd Street. (Survey ID #R5; Source: CMEC.)
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6.3.3. CONTEMPORARY
Contemporary style architecture is seen in the United States from about 1945 through 1990, with a noticeable trend between 1945 and 1965 during the MCM era of architecture. It rejects decorative ornamentation on the building exterior and instead focuses on interior plans, integration of indoor and outdoor spaces, and view from the interior. Unlike Ranch houses, the Contemporary house is well suited for irregular terrain, including hillsides, as well as for two‐ story buildings.
Identifying characteristics of this style include the following:
Low‐pitched roof Widely overhanging eaves Exposed roof beams Windows at gabled ends Natural materials (wood, stone, brick, or concrete block) Image 12. A Contemporary style residence at 4402 Caduceus Place. Uninterrupted spans of (Survey ID #D8; Source: CMEC.) wall on the front façade Recessed entry door Broad low chimney Carport Asymmetry
6.3.4. RANCH
Following WWII, the Ranch style became popular nationwide. The Ranch style was developed in Southern California in the mid‐1930s and was one of the small house types favored by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) in the 1940s, which made it easier to finance a Ranch style house than other styles of houses (McAlester 2015). Promoted as modern on the inside and traditional on the outside, the Ranch house was considered a conservative approach to modernism. The Ranch style became the most common style of house built in the 1950s and 1960s and houses were typically developed together as part of an automobile‐oriented neighborhood. The form of the Ranch house reflects the rise of automobile ownership in the U.S. Whereas houses used to be compact and located on narrow lots to facilitate walking, the automobile allowed the Ranch house to sprawl across wider lots. Ranch houses generally date from c. 1935 to 1975.
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Identifying characteristics of this style include the following:
One‐story plan Low‐pitched roof with moderate‐to‐wide roof overhang Emphasis on horizontality Off‐center, recessed front entry Attached garage at principal façade Asymmetrical façade Large picture window on principal façade
Image 13. A Ranch residence at 1401 Harbor View Drive. (Survey ID #H9; Source: CMEC.)
6.3.5. STYLED RANCH
A sub‐type of the Ranch is the Styled Ranch, which is a Ranch house with historical or modern stylistic elements incorporated into the exterior of the building. In the 1960s and 1970s, as developers and consumers tired of standard Ranches, builders began to produce Spanish Colonial Revival Ranches, Colonial Revival Ranches, Tudor Revival Ranches, Contemporary Ranches, Traditional Ranches, and Image 14. A Contemporary Ranch style residence at 6506 Fairway other types of Styled Ranches Drive. (Survey ID #G104; Source: CMEC.) (McAlester 2015).
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6.3.6. BRUTALISM
Brutalism is an architectural style from the 1950s through the 1970s named for the French term for raw concrete, béton brut. It reflects the Late Modern era of architecture. It relies on the exposure of building materials, particularly concrete and structural systems. Brutalism is more often applied to civic architecture than residential.
Identifying characteristics of this style include the following:
Bulky and angular design Exposed structural supports Image 15. A Brutalist style building at 2200 Market Street. (Survey ID #76; Source: CMEC.) Exposed concrete Expanses of solid material interrupted by narrow vertical window openings Minimal windows Recessed windows Unornamented facades Exposed ducts
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7. SURVEY METHODOLOGY
CMEC developed a methodology for this project based on standards set by the NPS and guidelines for historic resources surveys recommended by the THC. Each member of the CMEC history team is a professional who meets or exceeds the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Historic Preservation and has extensive experience with similar projects. Approaches to research, survey, and evaluation were determined at the outset of the project and were adhered to throughout.
The following section describes the methodology used for this survey. The survey component of the project involved three main tasks: (1) fieldwork preparation, (2) on‐the‐ground fieldwork activities, and (3) post‐field data processing and evaluation. These steps are described in more detail below.
7.1. FIELDWORK PREPARATION
For this study, the City of Galveston had selected a time period of 1940 to 1975. CMEC historians worked with the City of Galveston and local history experts to identify Rapp Jr.‐designed buildings and MCM buildings to document. Per the contract, CMEC agreed to document up to 40 buildings designed by Rapp Jr., up to 130 additional MCM resources, and the resources in the Harbor View neighborhood, which totaled approximately 70 resources. The initial tasks were to develop a historic context by which to evaluate the historical significance of each property and to prepare for fieldwork. Next, CMEC historians used architectural guidebooks, such as the Galveston Architecture Guidebook by Beasley and Fox (1996), newspaper articles, and aerial maps to identify the MCM resources and buildings designed by Rapp Jr. during the identified survey time period. The CMEC team also identified the subdivisions of Denver Court, Cedar Lawn, and Golf Crest as likely to contain good examples of MCM architecture. Once in the field, the historians would document select properties in each of these three neighborhoods. In all, 261 total resources (inclusive of Rapp Jr., MCM, and Harbor View) within the City of Galveston were surveyed.
After selecting the resources to survey, CMEC historians assigned a CMEC identification number (referred to as the “Survey ID #”) to each resource, and a set of field maps was created. Using FilemakerPro software, CMEC created a custom tablet‐based data collection form. CMEC worked with the City to develop the form and received approval on the form before conducting fieldwork. This form was loaded onto iPads for field data collection and was pre‐populated with basic property information (address, parcel number, year built when available from research, etc.), aerial review status, previous documentation/determination information, and any identified historical information or photographs.
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7.2. FIELD SURVEY
From April 2 through April 6, 2018, a team of three professional historians (Emily Reed, Izabella Dennis, and Ann Keen) photo‐documented the resources in the survey area from the public right‐ of‐way and entered information about each resource’s characteristics into the tablet form. CMEC collected and catalogued a wide array of information for each selected historic‐age resource while in Galveston. This data included, but was not limited to, current address, general description (style, form, function, and year‐built date), visible alterations, and general notes. This information is included on maps (see Figure 2 in Appendix A) and on the survey forms (see Appendices C, D, and E). The “Survey ID” number assigned to each resource by CMEC is also included in the GIS data provided to the City of Galveston at the completion of this project.
As noted above, representative MCM properties within the Denver Court, Cedar Lawn, and Golf Crest neighborhoods were selected for documentation in the field. Resources from these neighborhoods are identified with Survey IDs that begin with the letter of the name of the neighborhood (for example, G101 is in Golf Crest). The other MCM and Rapp buildings had been identified prior to fieldwork efforts, based on searches of source materials and input from the City and the Galveston Historical Foundation. However, some of these properties were found to be no longer extant or not representative of a style when evaluated in the field and were therefore not documented for the survey. Also, additional MCM properties were added as encountered during fieldwork at the discretion of the professional historians. Because resources were removed and added during the survey, the survey ID numbers are not contiguous. Resources added during fieldwork begin at 500.
At least two photographs were taken of each resource. Each surveyor noted the photograph numbers for each resource on the tablet form. Notes were also made regarding information obtained from neighbors and members of the public encountered during the survey, including construction dates for buildings and neighborhood history. While in Galveston, CMEC also conducted additional research at the Rosenberg Library and the Galveston and Texas History Center.
7.3. POST‐FIELD PROCESSING AND EVALUATION
Following the completion of fieldwork, all notes and maps were scanned and saved to the CMEC server. Photographs were loaded into the Filemaker Pro database with at least two photographs per record. The data that had been entered in the tablets during fieldwork was reviewed for accuracy and completeness by the historians. To confirm the existence of alterations, historians primarily relied on professional judgment, as well as Google Street View, aerial imagery, and, when available, comparison to historical photos. For year‐built dates, several sources were used
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to supplement professional judgment: aerial imagery, Sanborn maps, previous surveys, newspaper articles, and other printed sources. CMEC historians also continued to coordinate with the City of Galveston and local history experts in order to obtain additional information about certain properties. Records were further updated to reflect any new historical information uncovered during post‐field processing.
After categorizing the surveyed properties by use, type, form, and style, and documenting materials, alterations, and current designations, CMEC historians made evaluations regarding current designation potential, as described in the next section.
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8. SURVEY RESULTS AND OBSERVATIONS
This section describes survey results and observations from the documentation of Rapp Jr., MCM, and Harbor View subdivision historic‐age resources within the City of Galveston. These resources were constructed between 1939 and 1975. Charts and tables are included to illustrate survey results from each part of the survey. Survey forms for each individual property are included in Appendices C, D, and E.
8.1. RAYMOND R. RAPP JR.‐DESIGNED BUILDINGS
CMEC documented 31 resources designed by architect Raymond R. Rapp Jr. between 1950 and 1973 (see Figure 1 in Appendix A and the survey forms in Appendix C). As discussed in Section 2.1, Rapp Sr. and Rapp Jr. were both Galveston architects. Rapp Jr. worked as an apprentice in his father’s architecture firm from 1947 to 1959, after which point his father died and he obtained his architecture license. Sources consulted for this project did not consistently make a distinction between Rapp Sr. and Rapp Jr. when crediting the architect. In an effort to include the largest sample of buildings that Rapp J. may have been involved in, resources designed by the firm beginning in 1947, when Rapp Jr. joined, were included in the list of Rapp Jr.‐designed buildings. Additional research beyond the survey level would be necessary to definitively identify the specific nature of Rapp Jr.’s involvement in projects from 1947 to 1959.
The survey data discussed in this section includes the Rapp Jr.‐designed buildings surveyed as part of this project. Newspaper articles, consultation with the City and local historians, and archives at the Galveston and Texas History Center at the Rosenberg Library were utilized to develop this list of buildings; however, it is possible that there are other unidentified buildings designed by Rapp Jr. within the city of Galveston from this survey time period. Additionally, there are more buildings designed by Rapp Jr. and his associated firms from 1975 through his death in 2004. In fact, Rapp’s obituary states that he was involved in more than 2,500 projects in the Galveston and Houston area (Ancestry.com 2004). Though Rapp Jr. worked until 2004, the survey period of 1940 to 1975 was identified for this project to create a context for the mitigation of the City Hall Annex (see Section 1) rather than to provide a comprehensive survey of the architect’s work.
8.1.1. RAYMOND R. RAPP JR.‐DESIGNED BUILDINGS SURVEY RESULT SUMMARY
Brief summaries of the survey results from the documentation of Rapp Jr.‐designed buildings in Galveston are presented below in Charts 1 and 2. Chart 1 illustrates that most of the documented Rapp Jr. buildings date to the 1960s, and Chart 2 illustrates that most of the surveyed Rapp Jr. resources were education‐related buildings; however, his projects varied in function. He also
City of Galveston Historic Resources Survey 40 Cox|McLain Environmental Consulting, Inc. designed social, recreation and culture, religious, health care, government, domestic, and commercial resources. A full table of all survey results is included in Appendix B, and individual inventory forms are included in Appendix C. Examples of typical Rapp Jr.‐designed resources are provided below in Images 16 to 18.
Chart 1. Number of Rapp Jr. Designed Buildings by Year Built 14 12 12
10
8 7 6 6 5
4
2 1
0 1950‐1954 1955‐1959 1960‐1964 1965‐1969 1970‐1973
Chart 2. Number of Rapp Jr. Designed Buildings by Historic Function
Social 2
Recreation and Culture 1
Religion 2
Health care 2
Government 4
Education 14
Domestic 3
Commercial 3
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
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Representative Resources Designed by Rapp Jr.
Image 16. Personal residence of Rapp Jr., 1009 Harbor View Drive, 1964, Survey ID #R33 (source: CMEC).
Image 17. Municipal building at 1928 Sealy Street, 1967, Survey ID #R25 (source: CMEC).
Image 18. Robert and Mamie Weis School, designed by Raymond R. Rapp Jr. & Associates, Ben J. Kotin and Tibor Beerman, Thomas M. Price, and Charles L. Zwiener, 1965, Survey ID #R2 (source: CMEC).
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8.1.2. LOCAL LANDMARK RECOMMENDATIONS: RAYMOND R. RAPP JR. RESOURCES
There are no Rapp Jr. buildings currently listed as Galveston Local Landmarks. As a result of the 2018 survey, four resources designed by Rapp Jr. are recommended as potential local landmarks based on the criteria outlined in Section 2. These resources include Holy Rosary Church, Menard Park Band Shell, Ursuline Academy, and the Galveston County Courthouse. The Area(s) of Significance and Criteria by which these resources are recommended eligible are presented below in Table 4 and additional information about their significance is documented in their survey forms. Two of the resources, Holy Rosary Church and the Menard Park Band Shell, were built in 1950 and were likely collaborations between Rapp Sr. and Rapp Jr., who was an apprentice at his father’s firm at the time. Additional research beyond the survey level is necessary to definitively attribute Rapp Jr. to these resources.
Table 4. Rapp Jr. Resources Recommended Eligible as Local Landmarks
Address Historic Name Survey ID # Local Criteria Area(s) of Significance
1420 31st Street Holy Rosary Church R21 1, 4, 5, 6 Social History
2119 27th Street Menard Park Band Shell R18 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 Architecture, Entertainment/Recreation
2601 Avenue N Ursuline Academy R12 3, 4, 5, 6 Architecture
722 21st Street Galveston County Courthouse R23 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 Architecture, Civic
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Rapp Jr. Resources Recommended Eligible as Local Landmarks
Image 19. Holy Rosary Church, Survey ID #R21 (source: Image 20. Menard Park Band Shell, Survey ID #R18 CMEC). (source: CMEC).
Image 21. Ursuline Academy, Survey ID #R12 (source: Image 22. Galveston County Courthouse, Survey ID
CMEC). #R23 (source: CMEC).
8.1.3. NRHP RECOMMENDATIONS: RAYMOND R. RAPP JR. RESOURCES
There are no Rapp Jr. buildings currently listed in the NRHP; however, the Galveston City Hall Annex was previously identified by the THC as eligible for the NRHP. As a result of this survey, no additional Rapp Jr. buildings were found to rise to the level of significance necessary for potential eligibility for listing in the NRHP.
8.2. THE HARBOR VIEW SUBDIVISION
CMEC surveyed the Harbor View subdivision and evaluated the resources for individual eligibility and evaluated the subdivision for its potential as a historic district. The neighborhood is located
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in northeastern Galveston and is bounded by the Galveston Bay, Ferry Road, Coral Lane, and Marine Street. Harbor View comprises 87 properties, including 79 historic‐age resources, two of which were designed by Rapp Jr.; 5 resources built after the 1975 survey cut‐off; and 3 vacant lots (see Table 5 and Figure 2 in Appendix A).
The survey forms for the 77 historic‐age resources in the neighborhood not designed by Rapp Jr. are provided in Appendix D and the survey forms for the two Rapp Jr. resources in the Harbor View subdivision are provided in Appendix C (Survey ID #R33 and #R34). The non‐historic‐age resources were not documented with survey forms; however, they are noted in the Inventory Table (Appendix B) and in Figure 2 in Appendix B.
Table 5. Properties in the Harbor View Subdivision
Number
Historic‐age 77
Historic‐age: Rapp Jr. 2
Not historic‐age 5
Vacant lot 3
TOTAL 87
8.2.1. HARBOR VIEW SUBDIVISION OVERVIEW
The Harbor View neighborhood is one of several subdivisions developed in Galveston’s East End Flats in the post‐WWII years. It was platted in 1954 by the Harbor View Development Company and designed by Houston landscape architect Herbert Skogland (Greene n.d.). It comprised 63 lots on three streets—Harbor View Drive, Harbor View Circle, and Marine Street—and houses were priced in the $40,000 to $60,000 range (Galveston Daily News 1960). A second section of seven units was opened in 1959, followed by at least one more section (Galveston Daily News 1960). By 1960, 50 houses had been constructed (Galveston Daily News 1960). Whereas some houses in the neighborhood were architect designed, others were constructed by builders, including Gus C. Loomis and Al West (Galveston Daily News 1957b, Galveston Daily News 1956). Advertisements for lots and houses for sale in the subdivision tout the restricted covenants, high elevation, paved streets, and street lighting (Galveston Daily News 1957b). Newspaper searches
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did not reveal that Harbor View had model homes open to the public, which was a common marketing tactic employed by developers of postwar neighborhoods.
Like most postwar developments, Harbor View is an automobile‐oriented neighborhood with curvilinear streets designed to slow automobiles within the neighborhood and discourage through traffic. It is bounded by Ferry Road to the east, which is intended to carry higher volume traffic. The neighborhood does not have sidewalks. Rolled curbs are present which offer a limited amount of protection from traffic.
Harbor View has a flat topography, and the lots conform to the street pattern and vary in shape and size; the waterfront properties on the west side of Harbor View Drive and Harbor View Circle are larger than others in the neighborhood. The non‐historic‐age resources and vacant lots are concentrated along the waterfront parcels.
Developments from this period often utilized signage to distinguish a neighborhood from others; however, Harbor View lacks an entry sign or any identifiable markers such as entry pillars or posts. A variety of trees and plantings are present within the neighborhood; however, the vegetation is not cohesive in type or location, indicating that the plantings were not part of a developer’s improvements. Other historical improvements that would differentiate the neighborhood from others, such as street lights or matching curbside mail boxes, are absent. There are no integrated community amenities such as a school, church, or park. Images 23 and 24 below illustrate typical streetscapes in Harbor View.
The neighborhood retains its overall historical spatial organization, road network, and most of its physical components. Infill properties and vacant lots where historic‐age resources once stood diminish integrity of setting. Non‐historic‐age additions and modifications are common to resources in the neighborhood, including window, door, siding, and garage door replacements and additions to primary, side, and rear elevations. Individual integrity is discussed on each resource’s inventory form (Appendix D).
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Representative Streetscapes in Harbor View
Image 23. Harbor View Drive, view facing south (source: CMEC).
Image 24. Marine Street, view facing northeast (source: CMEC).
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8.2.2. HARBOR VIEW SURVEY RESULT SUMMARY
The documented resources in Harbor View were constructed between 1955 and 1975, with most dating to the first half of the 1960s (see Chart 4). Construction was largely complete by 1965. The resources in the neighborhood were all designed as single‐family residences; however, one has since been converted to an assisted living facility. Most are typical examples of Ranch or Styled Ranch residences and appear to be builder grade. Some are higher style examples of modernism, and eight are attributable to an architect, including W. Irving Phillips, Jr. (Survey ID #H27), Thomas M. Price (#H28, #H32, and #H47), Louis Oliver (#H77), Kotin and Beerman (#H9), and Rapp Jr. (#R33 and #R34). An overview of the styles is presented in Chart 5, and representative examples of resources in the neighborhood are shown in Images 25 through 27.
Chart 4: Year Built Dates of Historic ‐Age Resources in Harbor View 3
26
50
1955‐1959 1960‐1965 1970‐1975
Chart 5. Architectural Styles of Historic‐Age Resources in Harbor View
Postwar Modern / Ranch 44
Postwar Modern / No secondary style 2 Style Postwar Modern / Other 1
Postwar Modern / Styled Ranch 22 Secondary
Postwar Modern / Contemporary 1 /
No style / No secondary style 7
Primary Late Modern / No secondary style 2
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Total
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Representative Historic‐Age Residences in Harbor View
Image 25. Postwar Modern / Contemporary Ranch style house at 1203 Harbor View Drive (Survey ID #H13; source: CMEC).
Image 26. Postwar Modern / Ranch style house at 106 Coral Lane (Survey ID #H74; source: CMEC).
Image 27. Postwar Modern / Contemporary Ranch style house at 1113 Marine Street designed by architect Thomas M. Price (Survey ID #H47; source: CMEC).
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8.2.3. LOCAL LANDMARK RECOMMENDATIONS: HARBOR VIEW
One resource in Harbor View is currently listed as a Galveston Local Landmark, the Postwar Modern Pauls House, designed by architect W. Irving Phillips, Jr. in 1960 (Survey ID #H27). As a result of the 2018 survey, two additional houses in Harbor View are recommended eligible as
Local Landmarks based on the criteria outlined in Section 2.
Table 6. Harbor View Resources Recommended Eligible as Local Landmarks
Address Survey ID # Local Area(s) of Significance Criteria
1306 Harbor View Drive H28 3, 6 Architecture
1309 Harbor View Drive H9 3, 6 Architecture
Harbor View Resources Recommended Eligible as Local Landmarks
Image 28. Postwar Modern / Contemporary Ranch style house at 1306 Harbor View Drive designed by architect Thomas M. Price, 1958 (Survey ID #H28; source: CMEC).
Image 29. Postwar Modern / Contemporary Ranch style house at 1309 Harbor View Drive designed by architects Ben J. Kotin & Tibor Beerman, c. 1965 (Survey ID #H28; source: CMEC).
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8.2.4. NRHP RECOMMENDATIONS: HARBOR VIEW
No resources in the Harbor View subdivision are currently listed in the NRHP. The Pauls House, a current Galveston Local Landmark, is recommended eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion C for Architecture at the local level (Survey ID #H27). Built in 1960 and designed by W. Irving Phillips, Jr., the building retains integrity and is an excellent example of high style Postwar Modern residential architecture in Galveston.
Table 7. Harbor View Resource Recommended Eligible for the NRHP
Address Survey ID # NRHP Area of Significance Criterion
1310 Harbor View Drive H27 C Architecture
Harbor View Resource Recommended Eligible for the NRHP
Image 30. Postwar Modern residence at 1310 Harbor View Drive designed by W. Irving Phillips, 1960 (Survey ID #H27; source: CMEC).
8.2.5. DISTRICT RECOMMENDATION: HARBOR VIEW
The Harbor View subdivision was evaluated for potential eligibility as an NRHP district and a local district. In evaluating the neighborhood, CMEC historians utilized several resources specific to suburbs and/or post‐WWII architecture. These resources included: the National Register Bulletin, Historic Residential Suburbs, Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for the National
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Register of Historic Places and A Model for Identifying and Evaluating the Historical Significance of Post‐World War II Housing prepared for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program.
NRHP District Evaluation
Harbor View does not serve as an important representation of events that have made significant contributions to the broad patterns of history. Though the neighborhood is associated with the postwar housing trend, it does not demonstrate a particular and significant aspect of the trend. Further, Galveston has earlier postwar subdivisions, and the neighborhood did not introduce new concepts of property development to the area. Harbor View has some visually distinctive resources; however, most resources are common examples of their type found in many postwar neighborhoods. The neighborhood was not found to represent an innovative or trendsetting approach to community planning or demonstrate the influence of the developer on subdivision planning or land use.
Harbor View does not serve as an important representation of the life or career of an individual or individuals who made significant contributions to history. A variety of builders and architects contributed to the construction of the neighborhood, but the neighborhood does not represent significant accomplishments of the group. Similarly, though some prominent local residents have lived in the neighborhood, collectively, they do not rise to the level of significance necessary for a historic association with persons significant to the past.
Harbor View does not represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction. Though the neighborhood includes a collection of typical forms and styles from the postwar period as well as some higher style architect‐designed residences, as a whole, the houses are not important and distinguishable examples. Most are modest and common examples of Ranch and Styled Ranch houses. Further, the neighborhood’s design is not notable. The hierarchy of streets, curvilinear design, spatial arrangement, land division, and use of land are typical for the postwar era, and the neighborhood lacks any distinguishing characteristics such as landscaping elements or a community center.
In addition to lacking a historical association, Harbor View has sustained non‐historic‐age modifications that compromise its integrity. Alterations to the exteriors of buildings in the survey area represent the most significant integrity issue. Though many of the houses have sustained only one or two minor changes, cumulatively these alterations compromise the overall integrity of the area. Additional integrity concerns include contemporary infill development and the demolition of historic‐age resources. As a result, Harbor View is not recommended eligible for listing in the NRHP under Criterion A, B, or C.
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Local District Evaluation
Harbor View is not recommended eligible under Local Landmark Criterion 1, 2, or 3, which mirror Criteria A, B, and C of the NRHP (outlined above). Furthermore, the character, interest, or value of the neighborhood as part of the development, heritage, or cultural characteristics of the City, state, or U.S. was considered; however, no important association was identified. The neighborhood is one of many postwar neighborhoods in Galveston and though it has some standout individual resources, collectively, the neighborhood is not notable in terms of developmental, heritage, or cultural characteristics (Criterion 4). The neighborhood is also not an established and familiar visual feature (Criterion 5). It lacks defining characteristics and is mostly indistinguishable from other neighborhoods in the City. Harbor View is also not recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, National Historic Landmark, or NRHP property (Criterion 7). The only local criteria Harbor View meets is the 50‐year age requirement (Criterion 6); however, meeting this criterion alone is not sufficient for designation. Lastly, as outlined in the previous section, Harbor View has sustained alterations which diminish its integrity. As such, the Harbor View subdivision is not recommended eligible as a local district.
8.3. MCM RESOURCES
In addition to the Rapp Jr. and Harbor View resources, CMEC documented 153 more MCM resources constructed between 1939 and 1975. Though the survey cut‐off dates were 1940 to 1975, at the request of the City of Galveston, the Badgett Quadrupletts House, built in 1939, was documented and is included in this section (Survey ID #102).
8.3.1. MCM SURVEY RESULT SUMMARY
As illustrated in Charts 6 and 7 below, most of the documented MCM resources were built in the 1950s and 1960s. The most common historic functions were domestic, commercial, education, religious, and social resources. Domestic resources included single‐family residences, multi‐ family residences, and hotels/motels. Commercial resources represented a variety of historic functions, including banks, professional offices, restaurants, stores, businesses, and warehouses. The survey forms for the MCM resources are provided in Appendix E, and the properties are mapped in Figure 2 of Appendix A.
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Chart 6. Number of MCM Resources by Year Built
90 82 80
70
60
50 42 40
30 19 20 9 10 1 0 1939 1940‐1949 1950‐1959 1960‐1969 1970‐1975
Chart 7. Number of MCM Resources by Historic Function
Unknown 5
Transportation 1 Social 7 Religion 12
Other 2 Industry/Processing 1 Health care 1
Government 1 Education 12 Domestic 79
Commercial 31 Agriculture/Subsistence 1 0 102030405060708090
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8.3.2. LOCAL LANDMARK RECOMMENDATIONS: MCM RESOURCES
Twenty‐nine MCM resources are recommended eligible as local landmarks as a result of the 2018 survey. The resources are presented below in Table 8. They include some of the city’s more recognizable MCM resources, such as the Early Modern Galveston Municipal Airport, Postwar Modern Galveston County Courthouse and The Commodore Hotel, and the Late Modern Galveston Daily News and American National Tower. Also included on the list are a number of residential resources designed by notable local architects, including Ben Kotin, Tibor Beerman, Charles Zwiener, Joseph Cooley, and Thomas Price. Most are recommended eligible for their architectural significance. Other Areas of Significance include Social History, Industry, Commerce, and Communications. A list of MCM resources recommended eligible as local landmarks is provided below in Table 8, and more information about their significance is documented in their individual inventory forms (Appendix E).
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Table 8. MCM Resources Recommended Eligible as Local Landmarks
Address Historic Name Survey Local Area(s) of ID # Criteria Significance 2803 53rd Street Moody Memorial First United 23 3, 5, 6 Architecture Methodist Church 36 Adler Circle None 25 3, 6 Architecture 38 Adler Circle Residence for Jack S. Evans 26 3 Architecture 1317 Avenue J Residence for Edwin P. Aronsen 97 3, 6 Architecture 2401 Avenue K Congregation of Beth Jacob 68 3, 5, 6 Architecture 3006 Avenue O Congregation B'nai Israel Temple 56 3, 5, 6 Architecture 3102 Avenue O Galveston Artillery Club 54 1, 4, 6 Social History 4420 Caduceus Place Residence for Dr. And Mrs. Menelaus D9 3, 6 Architecture Caravageli 15 Cedar Lawn Circle Loomis Residence C108 3, 6 Architecture 43 Cedar Lawn Circle Sam Maceo Residence C102 3, 6 Architecture 2304 Church Street W. L. Moody & Co. Bankers 78 3, 6 Architecture 3301 Church Street Falstaff Brewery office 45 1, 4, 6 Industry 47 Colony Park Circle None 513 3 Architecture
5209 Denver Drive None D12 2, 3, 6 Architecture 1504 Driftwood Lane None 12 3, 6 Architecture 1616 Driftwood Lane Residence for Clark W. Thompson 11 3, 6 Architecture 21731 Frio Drive Round House 1 3, 5, 6 Architecture 1902 Market Street American National Tower 85 1, 3, 4, 5 Architecture; Commerce 2302 Postoffice Street Moody National Bank 77 3, 5, 6 Architecture 3014 Sealy Avenue Central High School 51 1, 4, 5, 6 Social history 3608 Seawall Boulevard The Commodore 49 3, 5, 6 Architecture 4603 Sherman Residence for Nick M. Cokins D5 3, 6 Architecture 5012 Sherman Residence for the Zwiener family D1 2, 3, 6 Architecture 30 South Shore Drive None 18 3, 6 Architecture 1005 Strand Street Libbie Moody Thompson Basic Science 99 3, 4, 5 Architecture Building (UTMB) 8522 Teichman Road Galveston Daily News 3 1, 3, 4, 5, Architecture; 6 Communications 2115 Terminal Drive Galveston Municipal Airport 4 3, 4, 5, 6 Architecture
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8.3.3. NRHP RECOMMENDATIONS: MCM RESOURCES
At the time of survey, no resources from the mid‐twentieth century within the City of Galveston were individually listed in the NRHP. One resource is pending listing. An NRHP nomination for the Falstaff Brewery was approved by the THC in May 2018 with the brewery complex (not surveyed as part of this project) and the brewery office building (Survey ID #45) identified as contributors. The NRHP nomination is currently pending review and formal listing by the NPS. Several MCM resources documented in the 2018 survey are included as contributors in the NRHP‐listed Cedar Lawn Historic District and the Denver Court Historic District.
Four MCM resources are recommended eligible for individual listing in the NRHP, based on the criteria outlined in Section 2. The recommended resources include the Congregation of Beth Jacob addition, Falstaff Brewery office, American National Tower, and Central High School. The Areas of Significance and Criteria by which they are recommended eligible are presented below in Table 9 with additional information provided in their individual survey forms (Appendix E).
Table 9. MCM Resources Recommended Eligible for the NRHP
Address Historic Name Survey NRHP Area(s) of Significance ID # Criteria
2401 Avenue K Congregation of Beth Jacob 68 C Architecture
3301 Church Street Falstaff Brewery office 45 A Industry
1902 Market Street American National Tower 85 A, C Architecture; Commerce
3014 Sealy Avenue Central High School 51 A Social history
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MCM Resources Recommended Eligible for the NRHP
Image 32. Congregation of Beth Jacob 1963 addition by Kotin & Beerman, 1963 (Survey ID #68; source: CMEC).
Image 31. American National Tower by Neuhaus & Taylor, 1971 (Survey ID #85; source: CMEC). Image 33. Central High School by Preston M. Geren, 1954 (Survey ID #851; source: CMEC).
Image 34. Falstaff Brewery office at 3301 Church Street, c.1955 (Survey ID #45; source: CMEC).
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10. CONCLUSION
Galveston has a rich architectural history spanning from the nineteenth century to the recent past. A robust set of local landmarks and local historic districts have been designated by the City; however, they predominantly reflect Galveston’s early history. Modern resources from the recent past are abundant within Galveston and reflect the city’s unique history and development through the mid‐twentieth century. CMEC has identified potential MCM candidates for local landmark and NRHP designation. The addition of these resources to the list of designated properties within the city can enhance Galveston’s already remarkable collection of historic sites.
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11. SOURCES
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APPENDIX A: MAPS
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APPENDIX B: TABULAR INVENTORY
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APPENDIX C: SURVEY FORMS—RAYMOND R. RAPP JR.‐DESIGNED RESOURCES
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APPENDIX D: SURVEY FORMS—HARBOR VIEW SUBDIVISION
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APPENDIX E: SURVEY FORMS—OTHER MCM RESOURCES
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