SETTING A COURSE An early success of the Galveston Historical Foundation was their restoration of the 1877 tall ship Elissa, purchased in Piraeus, Greece and brought back to Galveston. LEFT: The hull in its Greek shipyard. ABOVE: 26 Model posing to provide scale e t

i for artist restoring the bow. c . 8 0 0 2 L L A F PHOTOS COURTESY OF GHF S l a b i m R i a b t i n n h n u o u f e g g e e t w d - i m e n i l l r l f d d a s s t o r a i s i l g o t t o r n f a s l t r k m f m s g a , o o l a s d w u m o m i s t b m i n r a h e l p r e k y s t y e t y a d , h e e h r n l l t o e e i o i C I T I h s e g e a o f S b o S B t o v i s t t d b b f n f t t f o o h e h u t T r e l y s f v n i h l r e t i o o t r t s h b n e o o m r h E e a e e r W t o e c , o t w - a t t 1 1 o t a a e w c m g t e r o h h a d r k u M W a t 1 e 2 o a p y n n k y b b z o h e h n N h d e r W e d y . e 0 - g f t s t d o u e f e i e t f e r r O h b y e e o I s o w o h e g f s p H h o r e m a , o i e p w o n o a r e e f T n l h e e w g a o s d e u S h t a A d o u t n a t f u n a t a i h w a c i r m w t t y e , h g s a m w l i e t a C s r d A s - o k o t U r e e , n c e h p d l C d u h t e l e t a e S o r y m u a s a a e a l t i h a g l r d u r t s i p n m - a n o i l d l t t R n a l e w c h , m p t R a e s u a g e l s e a t l t d r f a d r , t m . m d n h e u a s , n e y h p g k t e w h l m — n u a l M o Y D W G r d d h g - d b i r d o e i s t a e y i n u s n f e r m g e a t o i e c u t a h r n - n h l a r i z g a t a d g d t h i h o w r a y n h O I B t H C I T N a h w l o C d t e d e e i z c i S y k v o - o t h r v i g o l l u t r a e t g u 2 a I y e h n e p a t e s r n h c e u p e g 4 O t T H I H r y s a i e i N E l s r s E t a c b v l , l o n n e , n t a l o . a l e r s h e u p t N 4 a e a e l d r o i a I a n l o I v n g s f e a e c 9 E d b a e l s U u V t l w A i n f r i k A R i t m n E e i v r y e w t n a y 2 n s b n t a s o t g c a s a G n l e s s w e n ’ a h , A y l S a g t s t h u i n V m h d E o e i L e m E t n i o E w I y i n a a k n a e c h h , g d i e d v n g s h b o a c t c R n t r l o s e t a h i e h t M a e R e D u S l Y E t l d o o k h i t D o l A o d t d e d m r d h s s , s a e o t r a r r t h w s s c s S e t s e i t r s h e l a s s e f - s a f d o t a o . p w r e i r h f E v a E a ’ f o i s d a l e , K w s r e W r b a o o 1 a F n C i w e b e i e L a a r i i r r c w n n p w o 8 r c t w n n R c d D r m p i - i t A u h a k a L 7 d - a k N e d i U l d E s e a n s a y p y f e t n O 4 - e e o e r r k s é s y o - O , d - e t T r I - E S f H - L O S H A R W O U E D T U I D M d b i r S a s d a S b V L R n h e O n n e u t o E o i a , a s t d T r y i N t d d u o y P o i p E E s a w n G c d N T i r E N t n o n p n c r h h t H t s e e w K L S e h e e d i H h h g i n w e T S n t a x t s e E r h n n o E Y a t w g a t a A A e o f P . s r i f - e w a O n a n s l b u D d o a f r A a t o t m T I E d l u i e s a g R s s w . h o n r F W r l t n l b v h G d o m T e o h o i d l r n f n C l l B t s M r o e C r f r a y F , y a M s m e s e , n o e u A w i n t , l w I U t l l u r s h i v o O t e e a t e t S e A i S n A s r t T e v b h e h u e d t d Y t t i i r n h e D g s h , l a a c e t c e h e U i a t s c r a i L h t c N m e h r s g E , o t i o n c s t k e T u b i e n a G n w n F S u o a n e C p L t o R n r e g e s - D t i t d h n v a d o e d o r H n b t U r t Y E n s v e e H o . t s s s a g d v x o . h i y s w e t n M n g B w f n W r a t h . R E s e A h a n e d e y i e g H e N s e y e c S d h A a e W x t B s N t r e i o H b 1 a a r l n w c e d m O i b l h i t u 9 o d O M I h l L s i u a m y S l t U I u i o s s k i e i a I e e h l s l t i l N i t k T l d L n l T s w l l T o m a r s I a s d i s e n n c T u i e g n r e o t D n e t e n h i E e i e i U l i E e n H n h l p c u o n g G t a i a , o M c s g n n t c , s t T d - D r o y w T a o R u e k i s o t T t f e r 1 n , d o h h r i a f h y Y s I d t s t E a H t r y o f e . r e e a t i d h T . W 9 g H l v e w i h r l T u n t o w r o e d c e e h i a n E c h T l h S s f o h b l M A t a e g t a r u o I a r r , u u e a s R o u r H T r f n i s w t T l - e s w n t u e l s i e g c o E e l i i t s i g e H l h e - t t n h n d , o d h h u l e e , l w r . l a l e g s U w i l v b c r a t h i s m c t a h t i o i u M w i s a i t r c w d b L a d 1 i h W b o G n o n n n d d t h h h h u o e e o o h b n r p 8 e t u e o e a a r o i a y a o a h n a a o d t g s d e e s c r o u e e e e i e m m n 7 c n b u a p t d d d d i c t n e u t t r y l a a h k l l p h e y l l o e i p 1 l a u t i s e a t o v A W “ O l l t p r l t e d e o v c l . r i b n n u d s e i s w f b t a a ” e m i e n u f o t t S s e o i e m n h s h t a r f a a r i i t e i l I r e i o n n t s s n n p c e r i n s e n d r n g s i o f b e a e R t w t i h n m g n h r o e s t e d t d p e t c t e c e t t e e s e d R p s l n g d g u a e r y h h i w u o o t e c o e o p h i l h t m i d e r n 1 r v b i a N s i s s n e h a e o o c y e t e a o i e n u l o e d e n f s e m s n e r d r . 9 u t e n e , h h o t a c w r e d f f u l o e e i n e H l d v e e s r s e s o d r W a 6 e c G i i t s o m c r c d t a i a t H s k d r . t a , v s e r d n d m e s a U s w f s o a w o S d o 0 r k a o , w w l t o t t r t o H e l e P i i e i t a e i f e e i s r t o r h 1 s l o a t a j r i d e a a s t i d i f a r c n u l i t e e d r c t n h h l d n r , u d p n s e t u e i o e s 0 f l l u O s h m n g v h v o a t t i s r w h h o o t a c i r s t l l e r o t ’ e t G i t s o g s s t h r n i c 8 v o t i a g r e n r h t e e w d e s w e a a e t o n e n o a c o c r t s t f r o o t . r o c o t o i e h t c e s c r , e r r b e G o m ( t b n 2 B d p u e o e a l u t u y d r o l n w s d m h h s a S o f o w n T C a t n T i M i h o i i e i o u r i h e r y a a 2 e n t l u o . m h e r e r h c n t r f o n c i r t B c u r n i t e t r s s v s a s s t a m g e e n t c e n h p e n w , a n o e e e a o i a h s o o a a e E o r c t i o n e i i a d h . e t t i a l i g v e n l r h x s l t a , x e d t t t S n t a w a m r g s . e G m n l d l h k d v h v d r a F v c . s d W o o r e m i v o s s y . h y o d e h i a . s a n s a a e n H B ” t I w d n h e i n F e d e p t e k n e b e B r . f f r g i , H a r e r i i i t t s a e r a s R I i s a n p b s n o o m d s n e r n e m t n k i h u i i d c a k s n e r “ u l e S n o a t r h C n l i l y c i a n b i t h p t n c f o o a n s g S a H l w a A m h i o i v g t a s r G s e a t t e n h , e n o u g 1 o e n t o g l t e a c m c a e u 1 r h d . s t r r g i e h l t a t i p n t r b e l n e t s n o m r P d n 9 S i m e h t r a d o , w k ’ l n a i n i e & n o d l 9 i 1 h N a h d s e l . h w s t p a w h l i s s s o e i t l s r e d 6 a n T S l l n n i u t t c i e a r 5 y y d e 8 r t o t d a e y M o e h t r T e o t r y i e r J n i h n ( n h r m f o t 6 o h i i i r a i o u t d i s n s g o 4 o e l r 3 t e h r a l a u t h n c a a i n l h c e e t t t t C s r g d w t e e 1 s s b e e . w e n i t e W n n a i g s , t 9 r l e ’ s n i e t a h o a ç H a o d b e e o i i n n s a L s i t o n s i s U y 9 e m i l A i k h i g n t s f n e q a o w e g u a T t i n t l o e g d r d b s g a e e n n o t e c n i t u S t W b G 6 o w a c o y h , i n r i s a e d o d o o n s e u e b e F g s e c n a S e d d e f r n e t M e r d a a s a e 0 w o G h a c t s n n y t e e t s l e e r t n u l i r s d k k l a e a t a l a — e e t a u i n h o e i m i n l e f u o h m s l f o e - h e e s i a h d c c t . o t v s e ( , a p l l r a a r s , s e é n a s s i C i t d i d c L e d t e p r x d r r h a k s G v e h e k t p i a t a t r c e B t s r e e s e e c c i n s r i e i h a B i h u a n o e a i i h c c e , r o r e f a e e n l a - i a i d n o r r e e r , e r t c r l l t t e s r n d a a F y o d d H c s s a n s c o h a m B r s h d a c e y i d n a , a h n a u l a t v e e n a s t o , t t m e s o d e t ” e t n n a - o o l d n w i l y m r e i i e k d n e n r s a e d i , i g l o d h n e a r s a t B s t l a i p , r o t t n e d F a l a v n a d , m a n e , d d n e l h o d M e t t f z m e t n w , a p y i j k l d u c e l e e n c a S n l o p d i s m t c 1 r f r i p i n f n u y c g t x ) l , w s , d m h e k g p t o l i o r f d s o e e o n o y s v . p - t c w a a r a 9 P h T s o e l e i e o g l a m g B p n c n w e t t o c i e i w r f t A i i f n s h a u r o u e t u 1 v a i G d l p u 0 h c r n a m v t h a p y c i n u r F h r r a a l n e c d h n s s h e t t u s q t a r n o t a 9 i t i a o h n t a a 0 n i m e t m i t t e e h e o d o i g : u r t t x g b r e c t t i a o r u u s h R u e g e p i k i e o p 7 n m u m i l d n r s o o i r a e d e n t o “ t s l n t r o r t n o s p s n o p w p S t r l i e t s c s h s n 0 e t t i d i h h o n - e c o u i i p o n d i b c t I e l n j i w h g a n o e r h s ) h p r e W e o d i e w a i o t n d w a s w e e o t s o a , n k a i b o o h e m , a n o d r c g u h r w g o e d r e i n g n e a e n l n n s a d t d o r i n i t a i i f h t e a r a r e a a y h ) c i n f a a o e n n n d n o t t s m o g c i i t , t o ’ n r s p t r t o , n d e s s i o , - h t s s s t c n o a n a h t . o e e o g a y g t e r a s . f t i i n d s a e l , n d d v k y l s - - d n - l t s - 2

FALL2008.cite 7 ship (as opposed to the replicas favored prise of both locals and regular visitors, by other seaports). Their worldwide GHF announced that Dickens on the search took them to Piraeus, Greece, Strand would take place as scheduled where they purchased the rusting hulk of on December 6 and 7. With most the 1877 barque Elissa and brought her stores on the Strand yet to recover, the back to Galveston. event resembled its earlier incarnations GHF also engaged in lower-key when it drew crowds to what was then preservation activism. It set up a revolv- a skid row. Three entertainment stages ing fund to purchase endangered homes and 70 vendors were scheduled, and and commercial properties and hold GHF offered returning Strand-area them until buyers came forward who merchants free booths. “We made the would restore them. It bought or entered decision the day after the storm, main- into management agreements for such ly for the community, to provide hope properties such as Ashton Villa, from for people,” explained Clay Wade, whose balcony the Emancipation GHF director of events. Also true was Proclamation had been read, and the that the expected revenues were badly Garten Verein, a German-American needed for the restoration of the ten social club. It maintained the gaslights, historic structures the foundation benches, and signage in the Strand either owned or managed. Damage Historic District. It operated a salvage ranged from downed tree limbs at the warehouse to recycle windows, shutters, Menard House to four feet of water in columns, and other elements from the ballroom of Ashton Villa. demolished buildings and held demon- Remediation alone has cost $3 million. stration classes on restoring historic homes. Over time, however, GHF evolved THE PRICE OF PRESERVATION from a scrappy, nationally known urban The GHF’s annual Victorian-themed holiday recovery group into a comfortably fund- festival, Dickens on the Strand, is its major ed events promotion and property man- fundraiser. agement organization. It became to That did not include Galveston what the the expense of top-tier cultural rebuilding or of sav- charities—the opera, ing whatever 19th- EOPLE WITH FOND MEMORIES OF THE OLD ALVESTON ISTORICAL the ballet—were to P G H century artifacts Houston, and in the FOUNDATION BEGAN TO WONDER WHETHER IT WOULD CONTINUE PRIMARILY could be salvaged. process respectability Each of the buildings replaced feistiness. AS A SELF-PERPETUATING INSTITUTION OF THE TOURIST INDUSTRY, OR RETURN carried maximum This reflected a larg- TO ITS ROOTS FIGHTING FOR AN ENDANGERED BUILT ENVIRONMENT ONE insurance, but that er trend: by the close didn’t begin to of the 20th-century, BUILDING AT A TIME, OR TRANSFORM INTO SOMETHING ELSE ALTOGETHER. cover just the reme- preservation had diation tab. become mainstream, Even in years lacking the sense of cri- without hurricanes, sis that had informed the 1970s. The change was also December, began in 1974 as a potluck costume party these house museums were money pits. Popular a consequence of Galveston’s own nature. The novel- where members celebrated their preservation victo- from the 1950s through the 1970s, historic structures ist Edna Ferber called the city “a fly encased in ries. Opened to the public the following year, it preserved as examples of life in earlier eras had lost amber,” and once the initiatives undertaken by GHF expanded to a full-weekend street fair in 1983 and their appeal as attractions. Keeping them secured, and individual residents took hold, the community became a major fundraiser. In 2007 it drew a crowd maintained, insured, and staffed for the benefit of a revealed itself as a ready-made tourist attraction. of 34,000 and netted over $250,000. The foundation’s declining trickle of visitors tied up money that could “Galveston was the only city in Texas that still other big moneymaker, the Historic Homes Tour otherwise have been used to buy and hold threatened existed in a manner that allowed you to tell what it held the first two weekends in May, netted $100,000 properties like the Jean Lafitte Hotel. The extraordi- was like in the 19th century,” Fox noted. It shared last spring. For an organization with a pre-Ike annu- nary damage caused by Ike not only prompted the with Charleston and Savannah a distinctive coastal al budget of $3 million, the support these events move to maintain Dickens on the Strand but also character: raised houses, compactness, palm trees, bring in is crucial. effectively forced GHF to speed up its rethinking of and prominent middle and late Victorian architec- its role. Director Dwayne Jones said, “We’ve pre- ture. Its central business district was intact, although he fundraisers also had their price. served these buildings, but they should be used as some building owners seeking a modern look had People with fond memories of the old something other than attractions once attendance has covered the elaborate neoclassical ironwork with Galveston Historical Foundation began fallen off.” Wouldn’t it be better, his thinking goes, glass or brushed concrete facades. Many of the neigh- to wonder whether it would continue for these museums to be used as offices, shops, or borhood corner stores and bars were shuttered, but T primarily as a self-perpetuating institu- even residences, with a proviso that they be occasion- 28 they stood. tion of the tourist industry, or return to its roots ally open for tours?

e These qualities allowed GHF to bring in outside fighting for an endangered built environment one The flood-conscious design of several of these t i c .

8 money to support its efforts on the island. Dickens building at a time, or transform into something else Victorian structures could be a plus for tenants relo- 0

0 altogether. 2 on the Strand, the foundation’s annual Victorian- cating after Ike. Galveston’s distinctive architecture L L

A themed holiday festival held the first weekend in Then Hurricane Ike hit. Shortly after, to the sur- helped most of the island’s 19th-century houses F escape the worst of the storm surge. Their ground floors, which serve the same function as attics, flood- TAKEN ATTHE FLOOD ed, ruining everything from old magazines to holiday decorations, but their elevated living areas took on at An inventory of Ike’s toll on Galveston. most only a foot or two of water. Convinced of their value, the GHF went into newly heroic action. Even before homeowners were officially allowed ive Galveston neighborhoods are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. to return full time to the island on September 24, Of these, Denver Court, situated a couple of blocks behind the seawall between 43rd GHF was handing out brochures from the National and 52nd Streets, saw little damage. Several blocks closer to the harbor, the mid-20th Trust for Historic Preservation outlining what should and shouldn’t be done when repairing a hurricane- century Spanish Revival and Renaissance houses of Cedar Lawn had moderate flood- damaged historic home. “There is always a danger ing. South of Broadway and benefiting from Victorian elevated design, most of the after disasters that people will seek the quick and Fbuildings in the Silk Stocking Residential Historic District did well. Some of the smaller houses in wrong solution by demolishing still valuable struc- the East End Historic District, especially pre-Civil War structures already in dicey condition, suf- tures,” Peter Brink, now senior vice president for programs at the National Trust, wrote in the fered severely from Ike. One was lifted off its foundation and deposited in the alley. But most of Galveston County Daily News. This onetime GHF the district’s structures could be brought back. director had made a “bittersweet” return to the island to view the storm damage. “I’m glad that “We were lucky,” said J. Bangle, a picture framer who lives at 24th and Avenue L, two blocks south Galvestonians seem focused on rehabilitation and returning to their properties.” of Broadway. Because the storm surge came from the bay, rather than the Gulf, he lost a framing In August 2007, Jane Chance, Professor of English saw and 300 feet of framing stock, but his furniture and belongings were untouched. at Rice University, bought a home built in 1878 by a nephew of Sam Houston. “Since I first set eyes on In all, Hurricane Ike damaged 70 percent of the buildings on Galveston Island. The Strand aside, Galveston in 1973, I’ve dreamed about buying a Victorian house here and fixing it up,” she recalled. much of that damage was to houses that are only beginning to be considered historic treasures, Approaching retirement, Chance, whose house took such as post-World War II ranch houses and more recent examples of elegant design suited to on four and a half feet of water during Ike, wondered location. In the last third of the 20th century, in the desirable neighborhoods tracing the harbor if she would be able to manage the financial and the meandering arms of Galveston Bay, people could and emotional cost of remaining on a hurri- cane-prone barrier island. But the help GHF afford top architects like Tom Price and Lawrence Oliver. soon provided to her fellow East End resi- These structures took the brunt of the bay-side surge. dents after Ike gave her hope. Partnering Docks crashed through plate glass windows and demol- with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, GHF brought in 60 volunteer ished whole walls. At one house the water lifted a central restoration architects and engineers to assess air conditioning unit off its base and hurled it through the the damage from Ike and recommend bedroom and into the swimming pool beyond, taking the repairs. It provided advice on everything bed with it. from spraying to kill mold to dealing with insurance adjusters. Although adjusters might recommend In neighborhoods like Bayou Shores and Harborview, yel- tearing out irreplaceable longleaf pine floors low tags marked houses that city inspectors determined and ripping off decorative moldings to pre- needed to be elevated to vent the spread of mildew, even the Federal WAREHOUSING HISTORY Emergency Management Agency cautioned The GHF maintains a salvage ware- meet current flood plain against it. Especially in raised houses, floors house to recycle windows, shutters, codes if they were to be can be dried. “There’s a real disjoint between columns, and other elements from repaired. Others sported demolished buildings. the preservation movement and all the peo- signs declaring, “For Sale ple licensed for mold remediation,” explained Jones. “They focus on moisture by Owner – As Is.” Residential and commercial buildings in removal. We focus on the historic fabric.” historic districts that were grandfathered in as exempt “I fully, absolutely support the GHF,” from elevation requirements ironically would have been Chance declared. “It’s a marvelous, well-run easier to raise. “Slab-on-grade houses are going to have a organization. They remind us what a treas- ure it is to have a community of buildings that are hard time,” said Galveston Historical Foundation Director consistent in period. We can’t let these historic build- Dwayne Jones. “Maybe they should never have been built on an island in a flood plain in the first ings fall into decrepitude.”

F place: you can’t raise them, whereas you can raise pier-on-beam homes.” H

G Ike has galvanized GHF to a new awareness of its F O

Y responsibility to preserve the present for the sake of S

E Representatives of the Texas Historical Commission came to Galveston during the first week in

T the future. That means building, and rebuilding, in R U

O accordance not just with aesthetics and daily function, October and determined that Golf Crest, which had suffered considerable damage from Ike, C

Y 29 S or to maximize natural setting and minimize energy qualified for the National Register of Historic Places, but that the other postwar neighborhoods E T R cost, but with an awareness that a barrier island is a e t U didn’t because they were less cohesive examples of their period. When the dried mud finally set- i c O . C

dynamic environment. That means organizations 8 S 0 O tles, the demolition of numerous middle and late 20th-century structures will be the true and 0 T

such as the Galveston Historical Foundation must be 2 O L H L

P most lasting architectural loss from Hurricane Ike. dynamic as well. A - Sandy Sheehy F