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A Magical Island Kingdom ™ |
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Galveston Architecture
The Magical Island Kingdom is the quintessential Victorian city! The Victorian Age was named for the time span when Queen Victoria ruled the British people: 1837-1901. The City of Galveston was incorporated in 1839, hit its zenith in the 1870s, and was devastated by the Great Storm in 1900. Its Golden Age was confined almost precisely to the reign of Queen Victoria! There was a monumental recovery effort in the years after 1900, but when the Houston Ship Channel opened in 1914, the Port of Galveston would never again become the economic engine that had propelled Galveston to its glory, during the Victorian Age. After a long decline, that bottomed in the 1960s and 1970s, Galveston struggled to rise from the ashes, and with its large inventory of 19th-Century buildings, re-invent itself as a Victorian refuge from the madness of 20th-Century life. The City of Galveston was laid out with 14 long, narrow lots to each block, so long, narrow multi-storied houses worked nicely to produce a densely-packed urban environment that created a small Victorian city rather than a small rural town. Most of the picturesque, colorful, and lavish Victorian architectural styles were perfect for this vibrant new city. After the 1900 Storm, many of the houses were re-built using Victorian architectural styles, but as time wore on; the new, plainer, and more horizontal 20th-Century styles began to be used in newer neighborhoods, and also as infill in the older ones. Unfortunately, they usually did not fit well among the more stately Victorian designs. Galveston builders and architects rarely designed a house or commercial building so that it strictly conformed to the rules and guidelines of any one, of the many Victorian architectural styles, choosing instead to combine the elements of several styles, or to build rather plain and simple designs, from a plan book, and then merely enhance their look with Victorian decoration. This has lead some writers to classify Galveston architecture primarily by type, defined by the floor plan and shape, or to combine many styles together. For example, Howard Barnstone (The Galveston That Was), sees Greek Revival as the dominant style in 19th-Century Galveston, so he considers the later Victorian styles together as "Romantic". This has also lead to the convention of classifying hundreds of houses, that have some underlying Greek Revival influence, but are otherwise difficult to classify by architectural style, as "Galveston Vernacular"; meaning a building style that became common in the local area. Perhaps a better classification for many of these houses, without a dominant Greek Revival look, is Folk Victorian; which is the name given to the style of simple square or rectangular houses which have been decorated with Victorian architectural add-ons that suggest the fancier styles of those times. As the years have passed, since the 19th Century, a great deal of the architectural decoration has been lost on the houses and commercial buildings in Galveston, due to decay, and damage from storms, so it is often difficult to tell what some of these houses used to look like in their full finery! In the end, Architecture is a fundamental expression of the individual and collective lifestyle of a culture. As the economy and technology dictate how people can afford to live, and as people modify the way they choose to live, the architectural styles change to reflect these adjustments. As the architecture is transformed, it, in turn, influences the culture. The people who lived here during Galveston’s Golden Age, lived less comfortable, but more authentic lives than our modern society offers, which was reflected in the houses and buildings that they designed to live and work in. This architecture, that is their legacy, is the primary reason why "The Magical Island Kingdom" is more “Real”, i.e. more authentic, than many other places, in this country. The designers and builders of these buildings had an instinctive understanding that well-chosen designs and solid hand-crafted construction would create functional spaces that would enhance their environment. These structures were built to nurture the identity, uplift the spirits, and create greater harmony in the lives of those who lived and worked in them. The Victorian and early-20th-Century architecture of Galveston stands in stark contrast to the suburban sprawl of Post-WWII America, with its monotonous track homes and McMansions, its tiresome shopping centers and strip malls, and its slavish dependence on the car to make the lifestyle work. This architecture is often foreign and incomprehensible to those who have only known eight-foot-high ceilings, sheet rock, and glue-and-sawdust walls. Those who encounter the architecture of this bygone era either reject it for what they consider the more comfortable suburban lifestyle, with its tedious and repetitive building styles, or embrace the chance at the life that they can live in such a place, because they know that, in some mysterious way, these buildings will change them! Most of the pictures, of the houses and commercial buildings, shown below, were taken in Galveston, and are shown with their address noted.  The Federal style was conceived by the Adams brothers in England. Their design added delicate details to the earlier and simpler Georgian style. Americans modified their work by using curved, circular, elliptical, and Palladian windows, recessed wall arches, and oval-shaped rooms. This new style was an expression of the identity of the new United States. Like the Georgian style, the Federal style is generally symmetrical, and boxy with simple symmetrical facades, and shutters. The major differences are that the Federal style is more decorative, and incorporates curves. It was the most popular style in the US from about 1780 to 1830.  Federal houses usually have many of these features:
 1605 33rd Street The Michael Menard House The nearly full replication of classical Greek and Roman buildings first began in the late 18th century, when Thomas Jefferson used the design of a French building as his model for the Virginia State Capitol. As the name implies, this style is associated with the Greek republic, and was a fitting choice to represent the new American republic. Greek Revival is most distinguishable by its large Doric, Ionic or Tuscan columns. The front elevation is typically enhanced with a white portico (porch), and the building may be constructed using white stucco, board siding, or red brick. Greek Revival declined in popularity as the country became more urban, because it was better suited for public buildings, and houses on large country properties rather than homes in cities, with much smaller lots. Greek Revival houses usually have many of these features:
 1405 24th Street Some Greek Revival houses also have these features:
For this reason, the original concept spawned a movement to build smaller, less expensive Gothic Revival houses out of wood. Built to look like picturesque cottages, their most distinctive feature is the pointed arch form, but most also include scrolled ornaments, lacy bargeboards, and other types of and "gingerbread".  Wooden homes in the Gothic Revival style usually have many of these features:
The Italianate style had its beginnings in England when builders started to design recreations of Italian Renaissance villas. When the style was adapted to America, it became the most popular building form in the country by the late 1860s, because of its advantages. Italianate homes could be built on a modest budget, by using many different materials. New mass production techniques made it possible to easily and affordably produce the cast-iron, and press-metal decorations needed. The Italianate style is characterized by a symmetrical, severely blockish form, with a low pitched (even flat) roof, with widely overhanging, projecting eaves supported by large brackets, which makes the roof form recede, to give more prominence to the walls. This style fits better than many on densely-packed city lots, so it became very popular for downtown commercial buildings.  Italianate houses usually have many of these features:
 1301 Broadway This style was modeled after the the opulent architecture of Paris during the reign of Napoleon III, but it was also practical because the height allowed by the Mansard roof provided additional living space on small city lots. This roof makes better use of the top floor, and fits better with the scale of lower buildings, when used on 3-4 story houses. Second Empire is basically an Italianate design topped with a double-pitched Mansard roof. Both Italianate, and Second Empire houses tend to be square in shape, and have U-shaped window crowns, decorative brackets, and single story porches.  1101 23rd Street Second Empire homes usually have many of these features:
Some Second Empire homes also have these features:
Eastlake 1860-1880
 1417 24th Street Any architectural style, during the Victorian Era, that was decorated with the fancy spindles, buttons and knobs designed by Charles Eastlake, could be said to have an Eastlake influence. This decorative style of ornamentation was primarily found on houses built in the Queen Anne and Stick styles.   3202 Avenue P 1/2 Stick 1860-1890
 Stick style houses do not use ornamentation, but rather use the patterns, and lines created by half- timbering. Because the decorative details are flat, they are often covered over when homeowners later remodel. The Stick style was short lived because it couldn't compete with the fancier Queen Annes. Since few were built, and many of those have been lost, or covered over, very few authentic Stick style homes remain intact.  Stick style homes usually have many of these features:
Folk Victorian 1870-1910  Mass production
and modern shipping methods meant that nearly every location
in the
country had access
to decorative architectural add-on features. With
all
the gingerbread and spindles available, some Folk Victorian
houses suggest Gothic Revival
or Queen Anne,
but they are simple
square, or rectangular
designs that
have extras nailed
on to them, rather than the more irregular shapes of
these fancier styles.
 Folk Victorian houses usually have many of these features:
Shingle 1874-1910  2402 Avenue P This style
attempted to break
away from the more lavish Victorian styles with a
more relaxed, rustic,
and informal
look. Covering most,
or all, of a building with shingles, stained with a single color,
created a uniform,
undecorated surface. This style represented a simplicity of
form. Shingle
style homes can take on many
forms, and
borrow from the other styles of the day.  Shingle Style homes usually have many of these features:
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