The East End Historic District encompasses a large 19th-century residential area in eastern Galveston, Texas. The area is roughly bounded by Broadway to the south, Market St to the north, 19th St to the west, and 9th street to the east. The area has one of the best-preserved and largest concentrations of 19th-century residential architecture in Texas. It was developed mainly at a time when Galveston was the state's preeminent port. The historic district, designated locally in 1970, was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1975 and declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1976. and

Description and history

Galveston's history as a port city began in 1830, when

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

established a custom house on Galveston Island. After the

Texas Republic The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Me ...

was established in 1836, Galveston Island was developed as the republic's principal port. Its street network was platted in 1838, and by 1850 it was the second largest port on the Gulf Coast (after

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

). This early growth included the construction of a number of Greek Revival houses in the eastern end of the island, some of which still stand. The city experienced significant growth after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, but its growth was curtailed by the growth of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

as a competing port, and then by the

1900 Galveston hurricane The 1900 Galveston hurricane, also known as the Great Galveston hurricane and the Galveston Flood, and known regionally as the Great Storm of 1900 or the 1900 Storm, is the deadliest natural disaster in United States history and the third-de ...

, which devastated the city and effectively ended its significance as a major port. The eastern end of Galveston Island became its preeminent residential district, where the city's civic and business leaders built their houses. Wilbur Cherry, an early newspaper published in the city, built a house on Cherry Street in 1852 which is one of the district's oldest. The grandest mansion in the area is the so-called Bishop's Palace, completed in 1893 for politician and lawyer Walter Gresham. Most of the district's 550-plus buildings are residences that show Victorian architectural styles, although a number of relatively unaltered examples of the Greek Revival survive from its early days. The East End was protected as a local historic district in 1970. Significant and representative properties, some of which are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or as

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...

s (RTHL), include: * Bishop's Palace (NRHP
70000746
RTHL
139
, 1402 Broadway St. * George Washington Grover House (RTHL
7479
, 1520 Market St. * Isaac Heffron House (RTHL
18528
, 1509 Postoffice St.

Nicholas J. Clayton Nicholas Joseph Clayton (November 1, 1840 in Cloyne, County Cork – December 9, 1916) was a prominent Victorian era architect in Galveston, Texas. Clayton constructed many grand religious and public buildings in Galveston including the Firs ...

Anton Korn Anton F. Korn (1886-August 23, 1942) was an American architect based in Texas, known mostly for his residences. A large number of the works are in Dallas and in the Dallas enclave Highland Park, Texas. A number of his works are listed on the Nati ...

and other architects designed buildings in the district.

References

External links

Search on "Galveston TX" yields many photosets, some from this district
at

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

{{Galveston, Texas National Register of Historic Places in Galveston County, Texas History of Galveston, Texas Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas National Historic Landmarks in Texas

Description and history

See also

References

External links