Property Maintenance

Smokestack

The Preservation Services Department oversees the maintenance of the GHF buildings that are not open to the public for tours. These include the 1861 U.S. Custom House, 1909 Sealy Garage, the GHF Mechanic Street Warehouse, the 1875 Isadore LeClere Building, and the 1915 GHF Smokestack.

In 2005, GHF restored the smokestack, located on Harborside Drive, to serve as a landmark to Galveston's industrial past. This was once associated with an ice and cold storage facility that made it possible for shipping seafood by rail and by ship, to all points. At one time, the radial brick chimney was 1/3 taller that it is today, but was damaged in the 1915 hurricane. The smokestack was given to GHF in 1982 by the Hill Family. In May 2006, GHF was presented with the City of Galveston Landmark Commission Preservation Award for Industrial Rehabilitation, for the rehabilitation to the smokestack.

Custom House

In 1998, GHF entered into a long-term lease with the General Services Administration for the 1861 U.S. Custom House, and began a $1 million renovation to make the landmark its new headquarters. GHF had outgrown its headquarters in the Hendley Building, in the 2000 block of Strand, and welcomed the opportunity to give new life to the Custom House. Inspired by Andrea Palladio’s Palazzo Chiericati in Vicenza, Italy, the building is the oldest non-military federal building in Texas, and was originally designed to have a third story. The U.S. Government purchased the property at the southeast corner of Postoffice and 20th Streets in 1854, but construction was not started until November 13, 1860. The construction contract was won by the Boston firm of Blaisdell and Emerson. With tensions growing between the North and South, the contractor was instructed to finish the building before war broke out, or else they would not get paid for the job. The 1861 U.S. Custom House in Galveston still holds the fastest construction record of any federal building, at 114 days.

The building has served as a post office, custom house, federal court house and later as recruiting offices for the armed services. The upper floor was closed off from use after a boiler explosion in 1978. The renovations by GHF in 1999 included the installation of new HVAC system, elevator and other interior improvements.

The Custom House sustained some damage during Hurricane Rita on September 23, 2005. A fire broke out in a wooden building in the 400 block of 19th Street. Fueled by the strong winds, the fire quickly spread to two adjacent buildings, including the house at 1902 Postoffice (see Lost Galveston) that was built of bricks in 1890, after the original house was destroyed in the 1885 Fire. The Galveston Fire Department ignored orders to remain sheltered, as the storm approached, to save the Custom House and much of the city from what could have been a devastating blaze.

In 2006, historic paint conservator, Jhonny Langer, noticed a hidden painting on the door of the Mosler safe that was installed in 1876. The outer face of the vault door was painted over sometime before the 1999 renovations. Jhonny, who has worked on the restoration of many historic courthouses in Texas, volunteered to remove the overpainting and restore the vault to its original appearance. Once the layers of paint were removed, he discovered that the painting was of the Great Seal of the United States, as it appeared in 1876, along with an outer border of red, blue and silver. Damage was done to the Great Seal at some point in the past, most likely by a belt sander. Johnny is in the final stages of restoring the painting. For more information on his work, please visit his website at www.sourcehistory.com.

Isadore LeClere Building

Once a part of the Panama Hotel property, the 1875 Isadore LeClere Building was originally built as the offices of a coal merchant. Isadore LeClere was the brother-in-law of Michel B. Menard, one of the founders of the city. GHF retained the right to use the building, as part of the negotiations when the Panama Hotel was sold to a developer. In 2004, GHF contracted with the Kaldis Development, to renovate the 283 sq. ft. building while the Panama Hotel was being converted into condominiums. During excavations for the Panama Lofts’ new pool, several artifacts were discovered, including bottles, marbles and coal (likely from LeClere’s shop). The building is now renovated and leased as retail space.