Historic Galveston - Mechanic Street

I love walking around Galveston and looking at all the historic buildings. I often wonder what they were built for and what they are used for now. Some of the buildings have historical markers but others, not so much.  So I've been digging around.

This post is about some of the historic buildings in Galveston, the companies that were in them and, potentially, what they are today, starting with those on Mechanic Street. 

1914 Mechanic Street: This is the C.F. Marschner building. Erected in 1906, it housed the Texas Bottling Works as well as the residence for the Marschner family. Unfortunately, C.F. passed away prior to the completion of the building. His wife and their sons ran the business. The Texas Bottling Works was the first company to bottle distilled water in Galveston. The company remained in business at this location until 1929 when another bottling company, Triple XXX Bottling, moved in. 

Otto, Marie's son, stayed on at Triple XXX as they continued to work from this location until the mid-1940's. According to the 1930 census, Otto and his family moved to a home on Avenue N about the time the new company took over. Afterwards, the plant was used to bottle soft drinks. In the 1990's, the top floor became living space once again while the lower floor now houses classic cars.

2300 Mechanic Street: This is the original Leon & H. Blum Building. Leon Blum, his brothers and cousins started their firm in 1868. They were importers and wholesale dealers of dry goods and were very successful. They moved their business into this building in 1880. By 1890, the depression had taken a bite out of their business and in 1896, the firm was dissolved. The Mistrot Brothers took over the business and ran it from here until 1917.

As did many of the buildings in Galveston, it housed other business, went vacant and fell into disrepair. In 1984, it was restored and redeveloped as the Tremont House Hotel.

Notably, this is the 3rd iteration of this hotel.  The first was built in 1839 on the corner of Postoffice and Tremont. In 1861, Sam Houston spoke from a gallery predicting "fire and rivers of blood" due to secession from the union.  In 1862, Governor Francis Lubbock spoke from another gallery at that hotel suggesting Galveston be laid to waste to prevent the enemy from having anything. That didn't go over very well. In 1865, while occupied by Confederate soldiers, that hotel burnt down.

The second location was built in 1872 and occupied 1/2 a city block bound by Church, Tremont and 24th street. In 1900, that hotel took in many refuges from the hurricane. Clara Barton ran the red cross from there. In November of 1928, the hotel closed and demolition began a month later. This space is now a parking lot.  

This latest incarnation of the Tremont House Hotel opened in 1985.

2309 Mechanic Street: These three buildings represent Berlocher Row. The building on the left was erected in 1858 and the others followed. 

John Berlocher was a Swiss wholesale merchant and had another building on Strand. That building was ruined by three subsequent fires and then destroyed during the Battle of Galveston during the Civil War. 

Berlocher, ruined by the continued loss of the other building, sold these buildings in 1876 to Gustave Oppermann who held them until 1909. They were then sold to the Mistrot Brothers who owned the Blum Building across the street.  These buildings today are apartments on the upper floors and retail on the first floor.

2319 Mechanic Street: The front corner portion of this building was erected in 1890 as a 4-story building. It was sold that same year to Max and Aaron Blum (Marx & Blum) who sold hats and shoes. In 1902, the property was sold to Simeon P. Mistrot who sold premade ladies clothing, shoes, etc. 

The building was damaged during the 1900 hurricane and Mistrot restored the building using materials from the top two floors to create the adjoining building. I found this photo of the damage after the hurricane. Holy moly! 

In 1927, Jake & Harry Davidson bought the building and ran a dry goods store for 30 years. Then the building was sold to the Druss family who used the building for another 40 years as a furniture warehouse. In 1994, the building was sold to the Mitchells who restored it. It is now a ballroom/meeting room for the Tremont House.

2402 Mechanic Street: The Clarke & Courts Building. Robert Clarke and George Courts were printers. They printed everything from government forms to wedding invitations to phone books. In 1890, they completed their headquarters building (designed by Nicholas Clayton).  In 1936, they moved the HQ to Houston. In the '80's, they began to lose business due to computerization. In 1989, the business closed. In 1994, this building was converted to lofts. I saw an article on the lofts that were in this building and they are super nice looking. 

2102 Mechanic Street: The Galveston Cotton Exchange. In the early part of the 19th century, the Galveston cotton brokers would buy cotton directly from the growers at an agreed upon price. Then they would turn around and sell it for a profit. As the number of cotton brokers grew and railroads started bringing cotton to the city, it was determined they needed more structure and in 1873, the Cotton Exchange was born.

The original building, erected on this spot in 1878 was 3 stories and very ornate. Damaged by the hurricane in 1900, the building was renovated and a fourth story added. In the 1930's, it was determined that a new, more modern building was needed. 

The original building was razed and in 1941, this building was erected in it's place. By the mid-twentieth century the cotton business was in decline. The Cotton Exchange closed it's doors in 1967.  The building will be converted into apartments.

2108 Mechanic Street: The Galveston News building was designed by Nicholas Clayton and erected in 1883. Called "The Old Lady of Mechanic Street", the building housed the Galveston News, founded in 1842, for 80 years.  The operation was moved from this building in 1965.

306 22nd Street: 1877 Samson Heidenheimer Building.  Technically this building faces 22nd street but you come across it as you meander down Mechanic Street. It was built in 1877 and owned by Samson Heidenheimer. 

This was the original location of the Grand Southern Hotel, which was four-stories and had 40 rooms. In 1877 a fire wiped out the better part of the Central Business District, including the Grand Southern Hotel. Heidenheimer erected this building on the foundation of that hotel. 

Herman Marwitz housed his business, H. Marwitz & Co, here. He was a dealer in whole sale groceries as well as a ship chandler (which I found out meant he sold supplies and equipment for boats). 

From 1923 - 1976, Fred F. Hunter ran his business here. He was a "Manufacturer Stationer and Printer". During that time it was known as the "Hunter Building". The building was rehabbed in the 1980's and now houses commercial businesses.

305 21st Street: Marine Building. Again, this building faces another street but you see it as you wander down Mechanic Street.

This building was erected in 1876 by Samson Heidenheimer. He was a German immigrant who started his business before the Civil War as a street merchant. During the war he was a blockade runner and a cotton dealer. Clearly he did very well. The building housed his retail/wholesale business until 1904. At that time the Suderman & Dolson Stevedores moved in and it became known as the Marine Building. After being renovated in the 1980's, the building now houses commercial businesses.

2220 Mechanic Street: Davie Building. The building was erected in 1860 and originally had 4 stories. J.P. Davie Hardware Company was housed in this building. He ran the company here until he died in 1892. At that time, his partner, Charles Angerhoffer took over the business and ran it under his name until his death in 1914.

2214 Mechanic Street: The green building was the Reymershoffer's Sons and was erected in 1877. The family was very wealthy and arrived in Galveston after the Civil War. The brothers started the Texas Star Flour Mills located on Harborside and 20th (no longer standing). They had many other business interests such as the one at this location. It was a pottery and textile wholesale business.

2212 Mechanic Street: The Antique shop next to the green building was erected in 1873 and was called the Investment Building.  I don't have any other info except that it is now an antique shop.

There are several other buildings on this street that I wonder about but haven't been able to dig out a single piece of info on other than what is housed in that building now. But don't worry, I'll keep digging.