Galveston Historical Foundation opens the doors to the island’s architectural history through public tours of privately owned homes during its annual Galveston Historic Homes Tour. Large, small, and everything in between, the 2026 tour will have something for everyone! In addition to the tours, the annual event features numerous special events, allowing guests unique experiences in many of the tour homes and historic sites across the island.
2026 HOMES ON TOUR
2026 COVER HOUSE
1951 Sam and Edna Maceo House
43 Cedar Lawn Circle
The California-based architectural firm Williams, Williams, & Williams, designed this Mid-Century Modern house for legendary Galveston entrepreneur Sam Maceo and his second wife, actress Edna Sedgwick. The firm was recommended by Maceo’s friend, Frank Sinatra, who contracted the group to build his Palm Springs house, Twin Palms, in 1947. The Maceo House is located in Cedar Lawn, the island’s most intact early-to-mid-twentieth century neighborhood. Established in 1926, the neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (2002).
1886 Adolph and Lena Nitsche House
1617 Ball
Merchant tailor Adolph Nitsch and wife, Lena, built this Victorian house with an entry framed by a center double-gallery to replace their residence destroyed by Galveston’s Great Fire of 1885. Early German immigrants to the city, the couple had resided on the block since 1872. After Nitsche’s untimely death the summer of 1900, Lena endured the 1900 Storm, which severely damaged the house. Lena oversaw repairs to the building that was later enlarged. The house is in the East End Historic District listed in the National Register of Historic Places (1975).
1886 Mollie Walters House
2528 Postoffice
Owners of this two-story, fifteen-room bordello built in 1886 by madam Mollie Walters recently completed a full rehabilitation of the property. Featured as the Rehabilitation-in-Progress during the 2025 Historic Homes Tour, the house is one of the last remnants of Galveston’s infamous red-light district, once known as “The Line” during the island’s “Open City” days. Located in Galveston’s Central Business District, the Mollie Walters house is listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places (1984).
1892 Carlos and Jane Hickenlooper House
2327 Avenue M
Carlos and Jane Hickenlooper built this two-story Queen Anne house with covered entry portico in 1892. Hickenlooper worked for the Thomas Goggan & Brother music company in San Antonio and relocated to Galveston to work as the firm’s secretary. The Hickenloopers’ daughter Lucy later achieved international fame as acclaimed concert pianist, Olga Samaroff. Located in the Silk Stocking Historic District efforts to save the Hickenlooper house in 1991 led to the listing of the neighborhood in the National Register of Historic Places (1996).
1899 Methodist Parsonage
2602 Avenue N (Ursuline)
Trustees for St. John’s Methodist Church built this two-story Victorian house in 1899 for use as a parsonage. Pioneer Methodist minister Seth Ward resided there after the 1900 Storm when called to unite St. John’s and St. Paul’s Methodist churches as Central Methodist Church in 1901. Galveston realtor Zebulon Lewis White, and wife, Louise, purchased the property in 1911 and maintained ownership for the next six decades. Located in the Kempner Park neighborhood, the parsonage retains many original features including impressive interior woodwork and decorative trim.
1901 Cornelius Whelton House
2528 Avenue N (Ursuline)
Irish immigrant Cornelius “Con” Whelton built this elevated one-story frame house in 1901. Whelton emigrated to the United States in 1897 via New York and by 1899, he resided in Galveston and worked as a screwman on Galveston’s cotton docks. When completed, Whelton used the house as rent property until he sold it in 1913 to his brother, Michael. He, and wife, Nellie, enlarged and remodeled the building with a Craftsman influence in 1938. The house is located in Kempner Park neighborhood near the western boundary of the Silk Stocking Historic District.
1909 Frances Wiley House
2922 Avenue P (Bernardo de Galvez)
Widow Frances “Fannie” Overton Wiley built this two-story house with Colonial Revival features for use as her residence in 1909. When completed, her household of ten included her children, grandchildren, and two servants. Her son, Andrew Parks Wiley, inherited the house and divided it into a duplex, using one apartment as his residence while leasing the second. The Wiley family maintained ownership until 1954, after which subsequent owners continued use as rental property. Recently rehabilitated as a single-family dwelling, the Wiley house is located in the Kempner Park neighborhood.
1911 First German Evangelical Lutheran Parsonage
1507 Avenue M
In 1911, trustees of the German Methodist Episcopal Church built this two-story frame house for use as a parsonage. Originally located next door to the church, on the corner of Avenue M ½ and 17th, barber Albert Carr purchased the house in 1920 and contracted carpenter Edward J. Raycraft to move the building to the 1500 block of Avenue M. After he relocated it, Raycraft enlarged the house and converted it into a duplex, which Carr utilized as rent property. Rehabilitated in 2006 as a single-family dwelling, the house is located in the San Jacinto neighborhood designated a Neighborhood Conservation District (2010).
1914 Charles J. Wolfer Tenant House
1214 20th Street
This two-story frame dwelling with a double-gallery and Colonial Revival features was built in August 1914 for use as tenant property by wholesale merchant Charles John Wolfer. Born in Galveston in 1880, Wolfer was the son of Christian Ludwig Wolfer, a German immigrant who established himself as one of the island’s most prominent and prolific contractors. The house is one of several houses in the area built by the Wolfer family. Part of the neighborhood of San Jacinto, the Wolfer house is located in the Lost Bayou Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places (2017).
Rehabilitation in Progress – TBD
Each year, Galveston Historical Foundation features a historic property that is in the process of rehabilitation. These foundation projects are a central piece to GHF’s preservation efforts and showcase building techniques, adaptation, and more. Details on this year’s featured property are coming soon!
PLEASE NOTE:
Tickets are non-refundable. In case of inclement weather, the tour may be discontinued temporarily or for the remainder of the day. Smoking, photos, food, drinsks, and pets are not permitted. If we can assist with special needs arrangements, please contact us at 409-765-7834 in advance of your visit.
