Kempner, Daniel Webster, House

The Kempner House is an example of the rampant eclectic revivalism typical of architectural practices during the first quarter of the twentieth century. The Spanish Colonial Revival style represents a conscious rejection of the prolific Victorian styles of earlier residences and mansions in Galveston. With many of the original interior appointments still in place, it is a fine example of the turn-of-the-century lifestyle of a prominent Galveston family. The house was designed by Sir Alfred C. Bossom, a New York City architect of English birth and training, who designed many high-rise office buildings on the East coast as well as the Magnolia Petroleum Building (1921) in Dallas and the First National Bank Building, also in Dallas.

The excerpt below from Sir Alfred Bossom's book An Architectural Pilgrimage in Old Mexico illustrates his spirited quest for a reproducible style:

"...If one would know the genius of the New World which Columbus gave to Castile and Leon, one must seek those architectural fabrics most typical of the spirit of all the Americas.

Where shall the pilgrim go on such a quest?... Surely the sound of America is not truly to be found in its Colonial architecture... The aborigines who dwelt within its borders left no architectural remains...Therefore, the writer, directed by the logic of facts wandered across the Rio Grande into that storied land where Montezuma gloried.

Mexico! Not to visit Mexico is not to know the Western Hemisphere. Not to have viewed the monuments of its romantic past is not to sense the inner meaning of American traditions, nor to fully grasp the development of the American people... To the people of the United States, Mexico is logically a far greater source of influence than has yet been realized...."

Sir Alfred Bossom was a prolific author of numerous magazine articles. His other books include Our House and Building to the Skies: the Romance of the Skyscraper (1934). In 1903 he was invited to the U.S. to design housing for the workers of the Carnegie Steel Mills and in 1908 he undertook the restoration of Fort Ticonderoga.

The geometry of the original Kempner House remains intact despite the alterations; there are historic photographs that make it possible to reconstruct the original detailing of the dormer. Many original furnishings, portraits, dishes, lighting fixtures, and valuable collections of the Daniel Webster Kempner family remain in the house, as well as several items that D. W. Kempner inherited from his father Harris Kempner.

The Kempners' business, civic and humanitarian efforts were recognized on a local, state, and national level. Daniel Webster Kempner was involved in banking, cotton and cotton warehousing. The Galveston Cotton Company, the Merchants and Planters Compress and Warehouse Company expanded under his leadership. He was a director of the United States National Bank of Galveston and of the American Indemnity Company: He was a trustee of Sugarland Industries, a director of the National Foreign Trade Council, and of the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College. Mr. Kempner showed his humanitarian interests during World War I when President Woodrow Wilson appointed him Field Director of the American Red Cross. His wife, Jean Bertig Kempner, was one of Galveston's most prominent and active civic and social workers. She was one of the organizers of the Galveston Little Theatre. She reorganized the Galveston League of Women Voters, was elected State Chairman of the Texas League of Women Voters and served on the Immigration Special Committee of the National League. Mrs. Kempner was an organizer of the British Allied Merchant Navy Club. She assisted in organizing the Galveston Civic Music Association and organized the American Women's Voluntary Services in Galveston, serving as State Chairman and member of the National Board.

Mrs. Kempner lived in the house from the time it was built until her death in 1973; Mr. Kempner lived there from 1908 until he died.