Galvez Hotel

The Galvez Hotel stands as the oldest large beach hotel in Galveston. Designed by the St. Louis architectural firm of Mauran and Russell, the impressive six-story structure displays features characteristic of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and represents one of the few examples of this style in Galveston. Facing the Gulf of Mexico, the Galvez was constructed in 1910-1911 on the 2000 block of Galveston's famous Sea- wall Boulevard.

During the late nineteenth century, Galveston was among the southwest's most important cities. Besides its prominence as the leading port and commercial center for Texas at that time, Galveston was regarded as one of the nation's most celebrated resort communities. Thousands of tourists visited the city each year to take advantage of Galveston's beaches. The Beach Hotel, a massive four-story frame structure designed by Nicholas Clayton, served as the city's only large beach hotel. In 1898, a fire destroyed the building, and Galveston was left without a major tourist facility.

Plans to replace the structure with another hotel were shortlived because of the infamous 1900 Galveston hurricane. Approximately six thousand lives were lost in the storm, and the city's once-flourishing economy was devasted. Because of the severity of the damage, recovery was slow; however, the citizens were determined.

During the mid-1900 the entire city's grade was raised several feet, and a protective seawall was constructed to provide protection from future hurricanes. As the local economy was revived, efforts to construct a beach hotel became a priority. In early 1910, a group of prominent Galveston businessmen proposed that a new hotel facility be constructed to capitalize on the city's once-popular beaches and help re-establish Galveston as a major tourist center. The project instigators included H. Kempner, Adoue and Lobit Bankers, Hutchings and Sealy Bank, and the Galveston Electric Company, and they conducted an intense advertising campaign to let the country realize that the city was effectively re- covering from the storm. A St. Louis architectural firm, Mauran, and Russell, was commissioned to design the new hotel." The construction of the Houston-Galveston Interurban Railroad and the high number of re-servings created such a demand that the hotel opened on June 11, 1911, before all construction was completed.

The building was named the Galvez, honoring Count Bernado de Galvez for whom the city was named. Offering 275 rooms, the hotel was equipped with the most modern facilities and was regarded as one of the "best arranged and most richly and tastefully furnished seaside hotels in America."1" Most of the staff was recruited from hotels all over the country, and its reputation was highly regarded. Many of America's most prominent individuals were guests at the hotel. President Franklin Roosevelt selected the Galvez during a vacation to Texas in 1937. Numerous well-known politicians, military men, movie stars, and entertainers stayed at the hotel while in Galveston. Since its completion, the building has also been the scene for numerous important social events. The spacious ballroom with its separate entrance on the west facade often served as the location of parties and celebrations.

Despite the attempts of its citizens, Galveston never achieved the prosperity it had achieved prior to the 1900 hurricane. The Galvez continued to be an important enterprise, particularly during the late 1940s and early 1950s when gambling was popular in Galveston. However, when the gambling industry was shut down in the mid-1950, the local economy became extremely depressed and the Galvez' prestige reflected the town's hardships.

In 1978, the hotel was closed when the current owners purchased the structure. Realizing its significance to Galveston's post-1900 development, the owners plan to rehabilitate the hotel preserving the building's historical integrity and helping the Galvez recapture its popularity as a fashionable seaside resort.