Podcast: History meets Hospitality

As an island off the coast of Texas, Galveston has always been a crossroads, a place where cultures meet, fortunes are made, and stories for the history books unfold. For well over a century, visitors have come from every corner of the world. In the 19th century, visitors were likely coming here more for business rather than pleasure. In the 20th and 21st centuries, however, tourists have been and are drawn by the Gulf Breeze, the historic architecture, and that unmistakable island energy. And unless you're here for a quick day trip, there's one question that has united everyone. Where do you stay?

For as long as Galveston has been a city, and even before the city was officially established in 1839, hotels have been more than just a place to lay your head for the night. They've stood as beacons of hospitality, drawing presidents, performers, and pioneers, and today, a few of these hotels remind us that Galveston's spirit of hospitality has never faded, and two of these historic hotels stand out above the rest.

The Tremont House, with roots dating back to the Republic of Texas, and the 1911 Hotel Galvez, which was, in a way, Galveston's first major rebranding effort after the deadly 1900 storm.

The story of the Tremont House Hotel is woven into Galveston's DNA. The first Tremont House was built in 1839 and opened with a lavish ball on San Jacinto Day, celebrating the Texas victory against Mexico. Guests paying $50 in Texas currency, or $25 in gold coin, a reminder of how fragile the young Republic's economy was from the start.

The Tremont was more than lodging; it was Galveston's social, political, and business hub; foreign dignitaries, naval officers, and statesmen filled its rooms, bar, and dining area. The ministers of France and England stayed here, weighing whether to recognize Texas as a republic. Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels of Germany even lodged at the Tremont while dreaming up a German settlement that became New Braunfels. Texas Hero and President Sam Houston used the Tremont as his headquarters when in Galveston, writing letters to his wife from its rooms and delivering speeches from its galleries.

The first rendition of the Tremont House was a place of firsts. Yuletide balls set the tone for Galveston's holiday traditions, banquets, and events honoring the heroes of San Jacinto, as well as soldiers returning from Monterey during the Mexican-American War. And even meetings to raise funds after hurricanes damaged churches. Galveston citizens voted here, gathered for political debates, and enjoyed oyster suppers and dances in the grand dining hall. The Tremont

also played a part in the Civil War. From its balconies, Sam Houston spoke against Secession in 1861. Later, Confederate troops quartered here, followed by Union regiments after the Island's capture in 1865. Then, in July of 1865, while occupied by Union troops, a mishap with a cooking fire sparked a blaze. Within an hour, the proud wooden structure was gone, completely reduced to ashes.

Over its 26 years, the first Tremont resided in two countries, the Republic of Texas and the United States, hosting leaders in entertaining diplomats. Its destruction marked the end of an era, but set the stage for the second rendition of the Tremont Hotel.

In 1871, the Galveston Hotel Company, made up of a group of prominent Galveston investors, decided to erect a second Tremont house that would rival the grandeur of any hotel in the South. The lot next door to where the original Tremont once sat was purchased in 1872, and the plans were laid in motion. After a few years of budget issues and construction delays, the Five Story Hotel was finally opened in 1877.

Nicholas Clayton, the Island's most celebrated architect, designed this gleaming white five-story hotel with a lookout tower stretching into the sky. It had one of the first steam-powered elevators in Texas, and its guest lists read like a Who's Who of the late 18 hundreds. Former President Ulysses S. Grant stayed there in 1880 and was welcomed with a grand reception. Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Grover Cleveland, and Benjamin Harrison all passed through its doors. Cleveland and Harrison were even courted by Galveston's elite businessmen, hoping for federal funding to improve the port. Harrison delivered, signing a bill in 1891 that secured Galveston Harbor's future by providing funding to deepen and widen the ship channel.

Much like the first Tremont, the second Tremont became the heart of Galveston society. It hosted dances, receptions, and when the founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton, showed up on the Island after the 1900 storm, the Tremont became a refuge for relief workers. But the 1900 storm changed Galveston and the second Tremont forever. While the city recovered, the Port of Galveston lost ground to Houston, banking slowed, and by the 1920s, the Tremont's glory days were pretty much over. And in 1928, the grand second Tremont, once one of the finest hotels in the country, was demolished.

But Galveston wasn't finished building landmarks.After the Galveston seawall was constructed and the grade of the urbanized portion of the Island was lifted, Galveston lost much of its business prowess, but the beachfront was growing in popularity. A group of Galveston investors decided that the city needed a hotel that could rival any in the nation right along the seawall.

You may ask, "Why would you build a grand hotel right along the beachfront?" Just a few years after the nation's deadliest natural disaster struck the city. Well, this wasn't the first time that a Grand Beachfront hotel had been built on Galveston Island. Back in 1883, just a few years after the second Tremont house opened, Galveston's answer to Atlantic City's Grand Leisure was built on the beach before the sea wall.

The Beach Hotel was built between 23rd and 24th streets right along the beachfront, just about where the sea wall stands now. A majestic four and a half story resort that sat on cedar pilings driven into the shifting sands. Designed by Galveston's renowned architect, Nicholas Clayton, it was open to host visitors and tourists to the city with an octagonal domed roof striped in red and white, and trim painted in shades of green.

This sprawling U-shaped wood-framed structure housed about 200 rooms and offered nightly marvels, gas and electric lighting. A saloon, a gentleman's parlor, a reading room, billiards, plus a grand staircase. Of course. But this beachfront hotel came with a few issues. In winter, the rooms were pretty much empty, maintenance lagged, and by 1895, the hotel was in financial trouble, and soon, liens for unpaid taxes followed.

The hotel was sold at auction for a mere $16,000. An attempt at revival emerged in 1896, the hotel was purchased, repainted, and refurbished, and headlines touted it as the finest hotel on the coast, but disaster loomed. In 1898, city inspectors uncovered a shocking health violation. The hotel sewage was being dumped directly into the Gulf. “Absolutely disgusting.” City officials declared, forcing a shutdown until plumbing could be fixed. Then, a dark twist, on July 22nd, 1898, a curious fire broke out. A massive blaze consumed the hotel in less than half an hour. Despite efforts, the wooden structure was lost. Rumors of arson swirled; thankfully, no major loss of life occurred. The rooms have been mostly unoccupied, but the Beach Hotel was gone.

Many historians believe that even if it had survived that fire, the 1900 storm would've absolutely destroyed it. The Beach Hotel had embodied Galveston's Gilded Age, and at the time, Galveston was known as a New York of the Gulf, a wealthy port city, a rail hub, and an elite resort destination. Now, considering the 1900 storm had pretty much destroyed Galveston as a major port city, and Houston had become the major rail hub, Galveston was now riding on one of its last major assets, the beachfront, and being known as a resort destination.

Built in response to the 1900 hurricane's devastation, The Hotel Galvez opened its doors on June 10th, 1911, as the first fireproof hotel on Galveston's beachfront. The Galvez Hotel was a signal that the city was rising again, designed by architects out of St. Louis, Mauran & Russell, in an elegant Spanish colonial revival style. It was named in honor of a Spanish hero of the American Revolution, Bernardo De Galvez, Galveston's namesake. The hotel was envisioned as a year-round retreat with modern comforts from its grand opening.

The Galvez became a symbol of glamor and rejuvenation. Its facade shimmered in pink, pink granite mixed into the stucco. It was meant to glow at sunrise and evoke a spirit of rebirth, something we can still see today. In the 1920s, the hotel hosted a pageant of pulchritude, one of the earliest international beauty contests.

A precursor to the Miss Universe pageant. In May of 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt turned the Galvez into his temporary White House. During a 10-day offshore fishing trip, the fifth floor became Command Central, and all presidential communications flowed through the hotel.

During World War II, the US Coast Guard commandeered the hotel as its wartime headquarters. Guest rooms became barracks, parties and events gave way to drills and sparring sessions.

After the war, the Galvez welcomed figures like President Johnson and Nixon. Some, during their political primes, others just use the hotel as a home base for their fishing trips. In 1941, one of Galveston's prominent families bought the hotel. W.L. Moody Jr. added a pool, motel wing, and the exclusive Galvez Club. In 1979, the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1993, it was purchased by George P. Mitchell, a well-known, wealthy galvestonian. It was restored to its 1911 appearance. And by 2008, the hotel was damaged by Hurricane Ike, but it opened shortly after repairs in May of 2021. Mark and Lorinda Wyant acquired the hotel, renaming it the ‘Grand Galvez Resort and Spa’. They launched an extensive restoration. The original pink exterior was reinstated, and a glamorous promenade not seen since the 1960s, known as Peacock Alley, was refurbished.

Now, before I go too far, I'd better jump back over to the Tremont, you know, what I was talking about in the first half of this episode? By the 1970s, downtown Galveston had fallen quiet, once the beating heart of Texas Commerce. The Strand district was lined with shuttered storefronts and weathered brick. But where others saw decline, George and Cynthia Mitchell saw opportunity. They believe Galveston's history and economic prominence could be resurrected.

The Mitchell's project wasn't just a hotel. It was a catalyst for restoration and historic preservation, leveraging architecture to revive Galveston's downtown, and their vision centered on bringing back a legend, the Tremont House, in 1981. Local philanthropists, Cynthia and George Mitchell, purchased the Leon & H. Bloom building, a historic dry goods warehouse built in 1879.

This building sits at Mechanic Street between 24th and, you guessed it, Tremont Street, right in the heart of downtown Galveston. The building was initially designed by prominent architect Eugene Heiner, with later influences from Nicholas Clayton. When the building was purchased by the Mitchells, they commissioned Ford, Powell, and Carson, based in San Antonio, to restore the building's facade and convert the interior into a luxury boutique hotel. They gave it a mansard roof, part of an unbuilt expansion plan. From 1882, it was finally added in the renovation to create the fourth floor. The third Tremont House officially opened in February of 1985, and to go along with the opening, a festive Mardi Gras celebration, one of Galveston's oldest traditions that, unfortunately, had been scaled down during and after World War II, but had been revitalized by George P. Mitchell and a group of Galvestonians.

The third rendition of the Tremont Hotel was the first hotel built in downtown for over 60 years. Its opening played a pivotal role in downtown revitalization, invigorating economic and historic preservation efforts across Galveston. Just about everything has a touch of historic symbolism in the Tremont Hotel, including the Toujouse Bar and a historic 1888 Rosewood Bar relocated from the Opera House Saloon, which is absolutely beautiful and was installed as the main bar on the first floor. The rooftop bar and restaurant are open to Gulf Breezes and sweeping views of the Port, the Gulf, and downtown Galveston.

The third Tremont house that stands today was never just a hotel. It was the keystone in Galveston's downtown Renaissance. It proved that history could be preserved, reimagined, and lived in, even if only for a couple of nights. Much like its predecessors, it became a place where visitors don't just check in, they step directly into the hustle and bustle of Galveston.

The Tremont House and the Grand Galvez are more than just places to stay. They're living pieces of Galveston's history. The Galvez on the beachfront, and the Tremont in Galveston's historic downtown district. They're bookends of an island story of resilience, celebration, and hospitality. Presidents, generals, and celebrities once checked in, and thanks to historic preservation, they still can. But here's the truth: You don't have to be a president or movie star to enjoy them today.

At the Tremont House. Step into the historic Toujouse Bar or go enjoy a rooftop cocktail while watching ships sail into the port. At the Grand Galvez Stroll, Peacock Alley, admire the Spanish colonial architecture or book a spa treatment that mixes modern luxury with timeless elegance. Both hotels welcome you, whether you're checking in for the night, attending an event, or simply soaking up the architecture or history.

Whether you're staying there or not, the rest of Galveston is waiting, from the strand's historic storefronts to seawalls, endless horizon. Galveston invites you to live inside its history.