Sealy, George, House

On January 9, 1835, George Sealy was born in Wilkes- Barre, Pennsylvania. At the age of twelve, he ended his formal education to help his family but continued to attend school whenever possible.

Arriving in Galveston, Texas, in the fall of 1857, Sealy accepted a position with Ball, Hutchings and Company where John Sealy, George's older brother, was a. partner. By 1860 the younger Sealy had gained the confidence of his employers so completely that he was allowed to develop a banking department within the firm. In 1867 he became a full partner. The enterprise was later reorganized as the banking house of Hutchings, Sealy and Company.

"Sealy was also active in numerous other business ventures. He was instrumental in developing the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad which was later merged with the Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe Company for an exchange of twenty-five million dollars. He was also president of the Texas Guarantee and Trust Company, vice-president of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad Company, treasurer of the Galveston Cotton Exchange, Galveston Rope and Twine Company, Galveston Free School Board, Orphans Home and Galveston Evening Tribune Publishing Company, a director in the Galveston Wharf Company, Galveston Cotton Exchange, Galveston Maritime Association, Texas Land and Loan Company, Rembert Roller Compress Company, Southern Cotton Compress Company, Bluefields Banana Company, Galveston Agency of the Galveston Meat Exporting, Company, and the Galveston Electric Light Company.

Recent documentation received by the Texas Historical Commission has reinforced the state significance of the George Sealy House in Galveston (listed 10/28/69) and clarified its importance on a national level. Dominating the corner of Broadway and Rosenberg Avenues, the Sealy House has long been recognized as an outstanding architectural landmark within the city of Galveston as well as the state. Reflecting Victorian tastes in the asymmetrical arrangement of floorplan and facades, the two-story residence with attic and cellar is a conglomeration of stylistic references, skillfully woven into an ornate and complex form of juxtaposed architectural elements.

While it was commonly believed that New York architect Stanford White was involved in the design of the residence, documented evidence was not discovered until 1979. A descendent of George Sealy located records of a transaction between the firm of McKim, Mead, and White and Sealy in a ledger of that firm, now located at the New York Historical Society, New York City. Further supporting this association is a page of architectural drawings bearing the firm's name, as well as four pages of specifications dictating materials and workmanship throughout the house. A specialist in the architecture of McKim, Mead, and White, Richard Wilson, Chairman, Division of Architectural History, University of Virginia, was contacted on the significance of the house. While he could add nothing to the historical information of the structure, he identified it as a very fine example of McKim, Mead, and White work. He noted that the incorporation of Mediterranean motifs and imagery was, to his knowledge, unique, as well as a superb example of adaptation to the local environment.

In the 20th century, the cost of maintaining such an opulent mansion was hardly justifiable as most of the family had moved away from Galveston. The descendants deeded the property to the University of Texas Medical Branch for use as a faculty center with the stipulation that Bob Sealy, the last Sealy residing in the family home, remain in residence as long as he desired. Realizing the importance of the structure with many of the original furnishings intact, the family contacted the Texas Historical Commission to document the home and its furnishings. On April 24, Candace M. Volz, Historical Interiors Consultant, accompanied by Joe R. Williams, Linda C. Flory, and Jim Bonar of the Texas Historical Commission met granddaughters of George Sealy in Galveston to photograph and review the house and its furnishings. Complete records of the 1979 historical documentation as well as an inventory of the furnishings of the house are on file at the Commission.

The generous proportions, extravagant architectural features, and rich, varied details of the exterior were not omitted from the interior of the house. The first and second floors as well as the attic feature a large number of rooms, each designed for a specific use. The public rooms of the first floor reflect the Sealy wealth with a spacious entry hall featuring paneled wainscoting combined with a beamed ceiling and fireplace of Renaissance proportions, separated from the stair hall by an arcade of carved Corinthian columns; the library with built-in, glass-enclosed bookcases and coved ceiling with stenciled design; and formal drawing room featuring walls clothed in silk damask and elaborate classical entablature supported by carved Corinthian pilasters and columns, accented with gilding. A noteworthy feature of this drawing room is the musicians' alcove with a hidden entrance and elliptical domed ceiling for acoustical effect. Service features include a butler's pantry with extensive built-in storage for china, silver, and linens, a laundry chute to the cellar, and an elevator. The second floor features a large, central hallway from which spacious bedrooms are accessible. Several bedrooms open onto second-floor balconies and porches. The attic, frequently used in a public capacity, reflects the lavish details of the first floor with wainscoting and a columned arcade. In addition to storage rooms, the attic houses a ballroom, two performing stages, and a dressing room.

Predictably, the furnishings of the house reinforce the luxuriant character established by the architectural format. The majority of the furnishings date from the period 1890-1900, with the remainder dating from ca. 1900-1920. The public rooms were furnished with a mixture of the finest quality manufactured pieces, many of which were hand embellished, custom designed, or hand-crafted, while the non-public rooms were furnished with high quality, though less ornate pieces. Furniture styles found on the first floor include Colonial Revival, Jacobean Revival, and Spanish/Italian Renaissance Revival, all characteristic of 1890s manufactured furnishings styles for better homes. The French Rococo Revival furniture found in the gold and white drawing room reflects the taste in furnishings for late 19th and early 20th century Newport mansions. Second-floor furnishings include a variety of bedroom sets exemplifying the Colonial Revival and Neo-classical styles, the latter featuring hand-painted French motifs. Another set is extensively carved in Italian motifs. The significance of the interiors is heightened by the fact that in 1914 Mrs. George Sealy secured the interior design services of Elsie de Wolfe, the first American Interior Designer, operating out of New York. Documented evidence of this association was disclosed in 1979. The billing invoice of Miss de Wolfe indicates specifications for draperies, bedspreads, and lampshades on both the first and second floors as well as the purchase of a set of bedroom furniture. This nine-piece, white, "enameled and decorated" set is characteristic of Miss de Wolfe's furnishing schemes. Another outstanding piece of furniture found in the house is an early 20th-century Mies van der Rohe "MR" chair, first designed in 1926. Visible wear on the piece indicates that it could date from the 1920s or 30s, a time when much of the tubular steel furniture was custom-made.

The furnishings, virtually intact through over seventy-five years of continual use, contribute to the overall significance of the house. Strong evidence supports the fact that although the house was lavishly furnished with high-style pieces, it was lived in rather than treated as a museum-like showcase. The subtle updating of furnishings through the years combined with the presence of so many of the original furnishings give the residence a unique ambiance. With appropriate interpretations, this could provide visitors with an in-depth glimpse into the life of a wealthy Texas businessman's home at the turn of the century.