National Register Listing

Hutchings, Sealy, House

2805 Ave. O, Galveston, TX

The Sealy Hutchings House is an excellent example of a Queen Anne single-family dwelling with Classical Revival detailing, designed by noted Galveston architect, George B. Stowe. The house is situated in a neighborhood of homes and other buildings, largely of the same era, south of Broadway, Galveston's major thoroughfare, and west of the locally designated Silk Stocking Historic District. The Sealy Hutchings House retains a high degree of integrity and is eligible in the area of Architecture.

The Sealy Hutchings House was built by a prominent Galveston banker and businessman, Sealy Hutchings, and his wife, Mary Moody, a member of another prominent and successful family in Galveston's history. The Sealy Hutchings House exemplifies the distinctive characteristics of the Queen Anne style, popular at the turn of the century.

During the latter part of the 19th century, interest in classicism was enhanced by the exposure of American architects to the French Ecole de Beaux Arts. Architects learned to draw from historical precedents in architecture to supplement the design of new buildings. Georgian and Federal style buildings of the early Colonial period were reviewed as this interest in classicism grew. Architect, Charles McKim, of McKim, Mead & White, was at the forefront of this movement in the 1870s as he embarked upon a tour of New England's historic houses. McKim is thought to have designed the first Classical or Colonial Revival house, the Henry A.C. Taylor House of Newport, Rhode Island, in 1886.

The first applications of Classical Revival elements placed more emphasis on the 19th-century design than the revival. In the early examples, like the Sealy Hutchings House, architects used similar form and massing to the Queen Anne style but moved toward a more symmetrical appearance. On the other, the first Classical or Colonial Revival houses were much larger than the predecessors and their forms were much simpler and more rectangular than the typical late 19th-century Queen Anne house. Towers and bays of the earlier Queen Anne became more restrained and lost popularity as the Classical Revival came into vogue. The Sealy Hutchings House is an example where the Queen Anne elements still dominate the design. This is evident in the two semi-circular bays, one octagonal and one rectangular bay. The exterior trim of the Sealy Hutchings House became more restrained in form. Adamesque swags, gabled pediments, and denticulated trim at the cornice line are all examples of the Classical Revival influence. Tuscan porch columns and a less complex roof configuration are further Classical influences.

The front doorway again became the focal point of the front facade for the Classical and Colonial Revival house. Huge, broken pediments, not common in actual colonial buildings, became quite popular above the Classical Revival door. Windows were usually double hung, with 6/6, or as many as 9/9 or lights, employed to yield a Classical or Colonial flavor to the broad window panes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Small panes were only used in the upper portion of the window, with the bottom sash fitted with a single large pane as in all of the windows of the Sealy Hutchings House. Upper stories typically had Palladian windows. A porte-cochere was often attached to the side of the house, again present in the Sealy Hutchings House.

The Classical or Colonial Revival interior also incorporated some changes from Queen Anne. Although floorplans remained flexible, decor became restrained and subdued. Staircases were elegant with simple turned balusters and softly curved handrails. Fireplaces were often flanked by small pilasters and topped by paneled overmantels.

One of the earliest houses in Texas to follow the Classical Revival style was the J. Rielly Gordan House in San Antonio (circa 1887), built by the architect as his own home. In Texas, however, the Classical and Colonial Revivals did not exert their full influence until the beginning of the 20th Century. The Sealy Hutchings House ranks as an early example of the combined Late Victorian and early Classical Revival in Texas. Galveston has a number of houses which Classical or Colonial Revival elements. Houses at 1416 Ball, 1112, 1128, and 1202 Broadway are some of the best examples; however, few examples of this style remain.

Although parts of the city of Galveston were platted as far back as 1840, the area in which the Sealy Hutchings house is located remained relatively open and unoccupied until the latter part of the 19th century. The block to the north of this site includes the estate of John Henry Hutchings (1822-1906), father of Sealy Hutchings. Immense landscaped grounds surrounded John Hutchings' home. Just to the east of this estate, the German garden club, Garten Verein, was established in 1876. In 1896, John Hutchings provided his son, Sealy, with over five lots, located in the northwest quarter of city outlot #65, on which to build his own house. Construction lasted throughout the year of 1896.

The architect for the house was Galvestonian, George B. Stowe. Born in 1873, he was the son of W.N. and M.E. (Beadles) Stowe. George Stowe received his education in Galveston's schools and at Crawford Academy. He established his architectural firm in Galveston upon completion of his studies. His brother, E.E. Stowe, also joined his practice, hence the name, Stowe and Stowe. The firm was quite successful and held a branch office in Houston. Among Stowe's works were: the Trust Building, the Ikelheimer Building, Central M. E. Church, Galveston Cotton Exchange (remodeling), the William Meininger House (1896; 1722 Church), the Bernheim-Moller House (remodelings of 1897; 1814 Sealy), the Capt. Rucker T. Carroll House (1900; 1717 Ave. K), the John D. Hodson House (1905; 1702 Post Office), the Clark-Jockush House and the Letitia Rosenberg Women's Home. George Stowe died in August 1932 at his home at 2517 Ave. K.

The accounts ledger of Sealy Hutchings banking firm, Ball, Hutchings & Co., provided the names of craftsmen who worked on, or provided materials for the house. Included were: G. M. Bryan (hardware); Byrne & Jones (rough and dressed lumber, shingles); Chapman (carpenter); George P. De Wees & Co. (brick contractors, builders); L. V. Elder (contractor); C. Hildenbrand & Co. (planing mill-manufacturers of sashes, doors, blinds, shingles, moldings, window frames-rough and dressed lumber); C. A. Horsley & Co. (builders, hardware); Moore & Goodman (lumber-laths, shingles, sash, doors, fine stair work a specialty-Lake Charles, Louisiana mill); C.S. Ott (marble dealer-tiles for hearths, vestibules, wainscoting, & halls); Rice Baulard Co. (paints, oils, varnishes, glass, window shades, wallpaper-Galveston Paint Co., contractor); William Schadt (sashes, doors, blinds wood mantels, grates, hardware, paints, oils); Jacob Timmner (locksmith, machinist); T. Toms (gardener); Jesse E. Toothaker (contractor, builder). The house was built for a total of $14,160.76 in 1896 dollars.

Sealy H. Hutchings (1869-1936) was born in Galveston on April 23, 1869, the seventh child of John Henry, a successful banker, and businessman, and Minnie (Knox) Hutchings. He grew up across the street from this house at the John Henry Hutchings House, 2816 Avenue 0, and received his education in local schools. Later, Sealy Hutchings attended the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Trinity Episcopal Church, and Galveston Lodge 126. In 1887, he entered the banking business at his father's firm, Ball, Hutchings & Company. Sealy Hutchings married Mary Emily Moody (1870 to 1943) on November 18, 1891. They had seven children, the latter four born at 2805 Avenue 0.

While their children were growing up at 2805 Avenue 0, the Hutchings accommodated their growing family by making some changes to the house. A sleeping porch was formed by closing in the open balcony over the porte-cochere. This was done circa 1920. Also, later in the 1920s, the third-floor attic space was finished out to form three bedrooms and a bathroom for the boys of the family. As Sealy Hutchings became older, he was unable to climb stairs any longer and the family installed an elevator at the back of the house.

Sealy Hutchings became president of Ball, Hutchings & Company, which became Hutchings-Sealy National Bank in 1930. He also was president and director of Clarke & Courts, Galveston; the Building & Loan Co.; and Hutchings Joint Stock Association. He was director of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad. He died in the house in January 1936. His funeral services were held at his home.

Upon her husband's death, the house went to Mrs. Sealy Hutchings (Mary Moody) who was also born in Galveston on February 22, 1870, the daughter of Colonel and Mrs. W.L. Moody. She was educated in Galveston schools and at Hollins Institute in Virginia. She gave birth to four children in the house and later died there on May 14, 1943. She is buried in the old Episcopal Cemetery in Galveston.
After her mother's death, Mary Moody Hutchings inherited the house. She was born on February 27, 1896, in Galveston and attended local public schools. As a debutante, she was presented at the Galveston Artillery Ball and was Duchess in the Galveston Mardi Gras festivities. She later graduated from Mt. Vernon College in Washington, D.C., finally studying at Columbia University in New York where she pursued a passionate interest in horticulture. She was a worldwide traveler and held a continuing interest in wildlife. Mary Moody Hutchings served as a volunteer driver in the Ambulance Corps of the Red Cross during World War I. A very active member of the Galveston Historical Foundation, Colonial Dames of America, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and Daughters of the American Revolution. She was never married. She literally led her entire life in the house, dying there on April 29, 1986, when she was 90 years old.

She is buried in the Galveston Memorial Cemetery in Hitchcock. Liquidation of the Mary Hutchings estate among 27 heirs left the house empty for four years. The house deteriorated during this time. However, desiring to keep the home in the family's hands, the present owners purchased the house in 1991. They are Trudy Hutchings Herolz, Sealy Hutchings (great-grandchildren of Sealy Hutchings), and Robert A. Herolz, Jr. The pristine integrity of the Sealy Hutchings House, due in most part to its continued ownership by the same family, makes it of particular historical significance. The very few changes that were made (the addition of an elevator, the enclosure of the sleeping porch and the upper portion of the back porch, and minimal interior changes) have been made with care to retain the style and spirit of the house. The current owners are committed to the preservation of the house and understand its importance. The Sealy Hutchings House is an excellent example of the Queen Anne style with Classical Revival details, designed by a prominent local architect, and owned by a prominent local family that significantly influenced the history of Galveston.

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1994.