WALKING HISTORIC GALVESTON:
A Guide to its Neighborhoods

About the Book

In Walking Historic Galveston, each chapter is named for the historic neighborhood you will wander. Remember that the more official the area, the more information is available about its houses as a matter of public record. Please do not deviate from the route as that may cause some confusion with the text.

Thus far only five Galveston neighborhoods have been officially designated as historic districts and listed as such on the National Register. The Seawall is listed not as a neighborhood but as a kind of park. The Lost Bayou District is a local historic district, while the San Jacinto and Kempner Park Neighborhoods remain local “Districts in Waiting.” The chapters are:

Chapter 1 — The Strand/Mechanic Strut, the downtown business district which was the first to be nationally recognized in 1970.

Chapter 2 — East End Historic District, the residential district which followed five years later. This second chapter is divided into two walks: West Side Wanderings and East Side Stories.

Chapter 3 — Broadway Promenade: This main thoroughfare was originally included in the East End District, but this guide devotes a chapter to this “Grand American Avenue.”

Chapter 4 — Silk Stocking Stroll, another national historic residential district, listed in 1996.

Chapter 5 — Seawall Excursion: Created after the 1900 Storm following the Gulf of Mexico shoreline, it is considered an urban parkway with open beaches and public space; a park, by default. You’ll complete your excursion while driving to your next walk through the Fort Crockett area.

Chapter 6 — Roarin’ Twenties Realm — Denver Court. While the first four neighborhoods followed the original Groesbeck city plan, this development from 45th Street to 53rd Street deviated slightly to discourage traffic.

Chapter 7 — Cedar Lawn: Against the Grid, which totally disrupted the Groesbeck town plan with its “butterfly” pattern, isolating the elite in a private enclave. Both Denver Court and Cedar Lawn are recognized as national historic districts.

Chapter 8 — Roamin’ the Kempner Park Neighborhood: This large and diverse neighborhood, south of Broadway and west of 25th Street, is still in the talking stage of protecting its historic integrity, even though the street signs already note its distinction. Purely decoration, they do not signify any official recognition. A small part of the Old Central/Carver Park neighborhood is also included.

Chapter 9 — Lost Bayou District, Found: This neighborhood, within the expansive San Jacinto area, received local recognition as historic in 1994 and is protected by the city’s Landmark Commission.

Traveling instructions, whether driving to or walking the route, are given in bold type, as are addresses in this practical guide. The numbers at the beginning of each change of direction correlate with the circled numbers on the map to help the walker follow the route properly; they do not denote structures of interest. Maps are provided for every walk, but it may be helpful to carry or refer to a compass at times.

Each chapter begins where the previous walk ended, in sequence, moving east to west then back east after Cedar Lawn—as if the reader planned to do the whole book on a day’s outing. If planning your journey into Galveston’s past in a more random fashion, please understand that your beginning directions may alter a bit from how and where you choose to approach it.

Please respect the property and privacy of all residents and homeowners by staying on the public sidewalks. Note that none of the current homeowners are listed—on purpose.

Start exploring the historic districts anywhere you want, following your journey according to your whims. However, Walking Historic Galveston: A Guide to its Neighborhoods begins at the source of the city’s success: The Strand, next to the only natural harbor west of the Mississippi.

The Nine Neighborhoods In The Book.