“Lost Galveston,” Author Brian Davis to Sign Books at Bishop's Palace Saturday, August 7

Brian Davis, Galveston Historical Foundation's Director of Preservation and Conservation Services, will be signing copies of his new book, "Lost Galveston," at Bishop's Palace, 1402 Broadway, on Saturday, August 7 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

“Lost Galveston” is a collection of more than 200 images of Galveston Island buildings that no longer stand. The book chronicles buildings ranging from civic and social places to schools and residences.The idea for the book came about when Davis was researching photographs in GHF’s Preservation Resource Center.

“I saw so many photographs of buildings that were no longer around and began researching where were they located and what is now on that site,” he says.

The result of this research is a 128-page collection of photographs in Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series. The book retails for $21.99. An accompanying post card series is also available. Featuring 15 images from the GHF collection, it retails for $7.99.
These items are available for sale online at http://stores.ebay.com/Galveston-Historical-Foundation.

Images for “Lost Galveston” come primarily from GHF’s Preservation Resource Center, which offers images, property files, neighborhood surveys and books on Galveston’s neighborhoods, architecture and other historic preservation topics. Other sources include the Library of Congress, Galveston County Historical Museum, the Dolph Briscoe Center at the University of Texas and private individuals.

“There can be a tremendous amount of information in photographs or books that most people think nothing of,” says Davis. Family photos and city directories may give clues that help someone find information about their ancestors or a building that they have been seeking.

“We encourage people to share their photos with GHF--even if they just allow us to scan the items so they can keep the originals,” says Davis. This allows us to use the information and share it with the public. If anything ever happens to the original, they have a back-up in the GHF Preservation Resource Center.”

Several people involved in historic preservation have loaned or donated pieces of buildings to GHF for the “Lost Galveston” exhibit at GHF’s headquarters in the 1861 U.S. Custom House, 501 20th Street in Galveston. Artifacts from a dozen lost buildings range from pieces of former Broadway mansions to a detail of St. Mary’s Hospital to parts of Ursuline Academy, one of Galveston’s most lamented architectural losses. The “Lost Galveston exhibit is open to the public, free of charge, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Ursuline Academy, completed in 1895, was a masterpiece of Venetian-gothic architecture which Nicholas Clayton designed for the Ursuline nuns on Avenue N, between 26th and 27th streets,” says Davis. The extent of damage to the building from Hurricane Carla in 1961 is shown in the book and in the “Lost Galveston” exhibit in a never-before published photo, taken shortly before the building was demolished.

The book’s goal is not only to show what has been demolished, but also why it is important to continue to preserve the many important historic buildings that still survive in Galveston and so clearly define its character, according to Davis. Millions of dollars are brought into the city’s economy each year by visitors who want to experience the historic charm for which Galveston is so well known.

The exhibit highlights not only buildings that were lost but some close calls as well. Landmarks that were considered for demolition in the 1970s include both “Old Red” on the UTMB campus and Broadway’s Ashton Villa, along with several downtown commercial buildings that ended up being saved by strong preservation efforts.

The 1970s did see the demolition of the block between 22nd and 23rd Streets along Market and Mechanic, where the Bank of America Building now stands. The Hutchings-Sealy Bank owned that block and razed the buildings to make way for the concrete and glass replacement. Several years later, the Ufford Building, a pre-Civil War commercial building at the southwest corner of Tremont and Mechanic Street, was demolished to make a parking lot for the bank. GHF was given the cast iron columns from the building and hopes to see them re-used in the downtown in the future. They were cast by the Christopher and Simpson Architectural Iron and Foundry Company of St. Louis, Missouri, and used by James Moreau Brown, owner of Ashton Villa, when he built the Ufford Building.

“Architectural pieces like the columns and the artifacts in the Lost Galveston exhibit at the Custom House help people connect with buildings that are no longer around,” Davis says. “Seeing a detail in a photo and the craftsmanship that went into designing and constructing these buildings makes you realize how special they were. It is through photographs, newspapers and books that we are able to piece together much of Galveston’s past”.

For more information about “Lost Galveston,” or the book-signing event on August 7, or to share your photos with GHF, please call 409-765-7834.

To see pictures from the July 31 booksigning at Custom House, click here.

To order online, click here.