Texas

Painted Ladies and hurricane survivors

carollightwoodby carollightwood

Carpenters never have to look for work in Galveston. The island is still rebuilding from Hurricane Ike back in 2008 and, I suspect, after additional damage from Hurricane Harvey which hit nearby Houston in 2018. There are also vacant lots all across the island where, obviously, there were once homes. Apparently some homeowners took the insurance money and walked away.

  • Adventurous architecture: a geodesic dome home beside a shipping container home.
  • Why stop with one deck when you can just add more stairs to second one on the roof.

The island is small so I decided to drive all the way around it and discovered that it is more than a beach town with homes built on stilts. To the far east end is Old Galveston, a real city with tall brick buildings, some of which survived the infamous 1900 hurricane, many Victorian style “painted lady” houses, and brand new homes built in a minimalist style.

Here is what I saw.

unrestored old home Galveston TX
This home in Old Galveston appears to be headed for restoration. My guess is that it was built after the 1900 hurricane that killed over 6,000 people on the island. At that time the high point of the island was 9 feet. The hurricane surge was 15 feet.
Partially restored home Old Galveston
This home, built in a Victorian style, has a new foundation that’s designed to match the architectural details of the house.
Painted Ladies houses Galveston
Two subdued Painted Ladies in all their Victorian ornateness are now a block away from a contemporary high rise office building in Old Galveston–which maybe shouldn’t be called “old”.
yellow painted house Galveston
Both old and new homes are being painted in bright colors, many with echoes of the tropics.
  • Lace curtains in the windows of this restored home are typical of that period.
  • Black and orange were not colors usually found on Victorian homes. But this works.
old brick home galveston
According to a historic marker on this brick home, it was a refuge for 2,000 people during the 1900 hurricane
  • Ornate door on the red brick building, above.
  • This ironwork on the second level looks new.
Bishop's Palace Galveston TX
Named the “Bishop’s Palace’, this limestone and brick home is another survivor of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. Not all brick buildings escaped unharmed. Photos from that era show severe damage to the Galveston Opera House, a 4 story red brick building that still operates as a theater today.
Sacred Heart Church Galveston TX
Sacred Heart Church, located right across the street from the “Bishop’s Palace”. The dome looks almost Byzantine.
new condos Galveston TX
And across the island facing directly onto the Gulf are these colorful condos. After the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, a 20 foot high berm/seawall ws built along much of the south shore of the island. I heard that a new law was introduced in the Texas state legislature this year to require that all new homes be built of brick. I don’t know if it passed yet.

carollightwood

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