About
Welcome to Villas de Galvez!
We hope you enjoy your stay in Galveston at Villas de Galvez. Galveston has been through some tough times since Hurricane Ike hit on September 13, 2008, but Galveston’s “rebirth” is going very well. Most businesses have reopened and there is a lot to do while you are here. Galveston has newly rebuilt beaches along the seawall; it has a Schlitterbahn (Slippery Road) Water Park, Moody Gardens, great golf and fishing, historic tours, the Strand District, great bars and restaurants, and many special events throughout the year. Whether you are here for some of these activities or just came down to take some time to relax, we thank you for vacationing in Galveston.
We only ask a few things from our guest. As you can see we are in a neighborhood with homes close together. We ask you to respect our neighbors by controlling the volume of the music and late night outdoor partying. We also ask that you try and park your vehicles in front of the house when possible. And please treat the house with respect.
A little history about Villas de Galvez: Villas de Galvez was built in 1905 as a “triplet” house (with her sister houses – one on each side) on the site where one large house once stood before being destroyed by The Great Storm of 1900. The house was in ill repair when acquired in November of 2005. In fact, the house had been empty for several years and was a borderline tear down. A BOI (Born on the Island) individual told us this house was once a “house of ill repute” back in the 1960’s or 1970’s. We are not really sure of the validity of this story but if it is true it does add a little color to the character of the home. Galveston’s East End (25th to Stewart Beach) has been making a big come back in the past several years. As you will see as you drive around town, a lot of homes in this area have been (or are being) restored. This house was completely gutted. We replaced of the plumbing, electrical, and the added central air. The foundation was sound but the outside had a lot of rotten wood which had to be replaced. The sheetrock is new; however, the bead board in the kitchen and the floors are all original. The ½ bath downstairs, ceilings, fans, fixtures, back porch and back deck were all added in the restoration. The “Carriage House” in the back was used to store the carriages and horse feed before the days of cars. An additional floor was added in the 1950’s to make it a two story when it was turned into an apartment – the reason for the “unique ceiling” heights. In the old days, the original lot went back much further. That land was sold off in the 1920’s when it was no longer needed for horses. This is the reason you will see ½ street names in Galveston (like M1/2 or P1/2). These allies were converted to ½ street names when they began to build on these back lots.
Galveston is rich in history and should be explored if that sort of thing is of interest to you. You might be surprised in learning some of Galveston’s history. For example: Galveston was the 1st Capital of Texas; Galveston was known as the “Wall Street of the Southwest” before The Great Storm of 1900; The Great Storm of 1900 is still the largest death toll of any U.S. natural disaster – over 6,000 people died and over 8000 were injured; A Civil War Battle was fought here – The Battle of Galveston – in the Stand area. Over 400 soldiers lost their lives; Galveston was a primary port of call for Jean Lafitte and his pirates during the early days of the U.S.; Galveston was the biggest gambling town in the U.S. until the 1950’s when the Texas Rangers closed down the Balinese Room on the seawall – They moved the operation (and performers) to Las Vegas; The “Margarita” was invented at the Balinese Room by Santos Cruz and named after Margaret (Peggy) Lee who was performing at the casino. These are just a few of many historical facts about Galveston. We hope you spend some time discovering some more of Galveston’s incredible history. And thanks again for vacationing in Galveston and for helping with the rebirth of this historic island.
