GALVESTON LOSES A GRAND LADY

George Ball mansion destroyed by fire

By Forest Riggs

Galveston is well known for the many architectural and historical buildings found on the island. Downtown is filled with ornate and detailed buildings, some as old as the city itself. The magnificent homes along the tree-line streets and avenues rival those in any major, historical city. The East End Historical area, which includes the famous Silk Stocking District, is where large architectural masterpieces are simply too numerous to count. However, many guidebooks and coffee-table photo collections have been published over the years, depicting the grand structures.

Galveston is very proud of its unique architecture and abundant examples of fine craftsmanship. Each year, thousands visit the island to attend the annual Galveston Historical Foundation’s Historic Homes Tour, where several homes and buildings are featured and shown with docents sharing information about the location. Most properties presented on the tour are restored and offer a glimpse of into life in early Galveston. Some locations on the tour are in the process of being restored and brought back to life, providing an inside view of the processes and pain-staking work involved in saving and maintaining a historical structure.
Saturday, April 12 was a quiet morning in the Silk Stocking District, until someone noticed smoke and flames billowing out of the historic George Ball home located at 1405 24th Street.

Ball, a successful businessman and civic leader, built the Greek Revival mansion in 1857. Originally located on the northeast corner of 23rd and Sealy, the house was cut in two and moved to the 24th Street location in 1902. The Rosenberg library was built on the original site and remains there today. After the horrific fire that also severely damaged neighboring historic homes at 1411 and 1401 24th, Rosenberg Library issued a statement. “The home is tied to our own history. Our Galveston history is a treasured part of living in the community and one that we hold dear.”

Dwayne Jones, executive director of the Galveston Historical Foundation, told The Daily News that, despite the fire, he hoped the Ball house could be restored.
“Galveston has a great spirit of rebirth and recycle, coming back to support reconstruction,” Jones said. “We’ve had houses that we rebuilt after fires, so sometimes there’s a way to sort of recognize the property and maybe even rebuild something… GHF is here to help the homeowners.”

Two residents of the home sustained critical 3rd degree burns and remain at the UTMB Blocker Burn Unit. Galveston Fire Department, well versed in dealing with such structural fires, labored to get the men down from the back deck. News photos showed the flames engulfing the two and the firefighters.

Galveston is no stranger to catastrophic fires and has quite a history of major fire events. In his book, Galveston Burning, local author and historian James F. Anderson, details the long and bitter story of Galveston and fires.

In speaking with Anderson about the Ball fire, he had this to say: “The historic fabric of Galveston is what makes this city such a unique and inspiring place to visit. These buildings are our physical reminders of the men and women who shaped our city and left a lasting legacy not just in Galveston, but in Texas, as well.

“The recent fire of the Ball house on 24th Street is devastating on multiple levels. The loss of the house deprives our city and visitors of this historic architectural gem. We lose our connection to the past and to a man and family which contributed greatly to our city and our citizens. I hope, like many, that the house can be replicated and once again grace our city.”

To drive by the charred remains is a sad reminder as to just how vulnerable the older, wooden structures have become. Being built so close to one another, when one goes, it’s likely the neighboring houses will be damaged, as well.
Let us hope the resilient spirit of the Galveston people, combined with experienced support organizations, will see the George Ball house brought back to all of its glory.

Forest Riggs lives in Galveston. His book, ‘Galveston Memories and Related Stories’ is available at Amazon.com, OutSkirtsPress.com and ForestRiggs.com.

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