Gustave A. Meyer House - Lost Bayou Historic District - Galveston, TX - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
Section 8 - Page 28

Statement of Significance

The Lost Bayou Historic District is a residential area in Galveston that includes a cohesive collection of mid-to-late nineteenth- and early-to-mid twentieth-century residences. Roughly bound by the alley north of Avenue K, 21st Street (Moody Avenue) to the west, the alleys south of avenues M 1/2 and M, and 16th and 14th streets to the east, the district presents a mix of popular architectural forms and styles from multiple eras. The neighborhood’s mixed housing stock not only reflects some of Galveston’s most significant events and periods in its history, but the variety of house styles and plans also reflects how these events impacted residential and neighborhood development. The district also reflects the building trends and patterns of less-affluent neighborhoods in the city. Developed on land shared with Hitchcock’s Bayou, which was eventually filled in and “lost,” this area was considered “subpar” in comparison to land north of Broadway Street - including what became the East End neighborhood - and therefore primarily became home to the working and middle classes. As such, Lost Bayou consists largely of modest-sized homes, and is considered one of the best collections of standard architecture - commonly built using standardized plans and readily available construction materials - in Galveston. Though most of the houses in the district represent common types and styles for their era, several larger, more ornate houses are dotted throughout the neighborhood and notable architects Nicholas Clayton and Alfred Muller, among others, are represented in Lost Bayou. The Lost Bayou Historic District is nominated under Criterion C in the area of Architecture at the local level of significance, and 401 resources contribute to the historic district. The period of significance for the Lost Bayou Historic District begins in 1856—the date of the oldest building in the district-and stretches to 1940. By 1940, the major periods of development within the Lost Bayou historic district were over and all the most-significant buildings were extant. Additionally, building construction after 1940 was minimal, sporadic, and did not reflect important postwar architectural trends.

United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
Section 8 - Page 38

Architect-Designed, 1888 | 1202 21st Street

There are four known houses in the Lost Bayou Historic District designed by architects. The houses date to a relatively short window of time, between 1886 and 1900, with construction years of 1886, 1887, 1888, and 1900. These houses represent a small portion of the housing stock in the Lost Bayou neighborhood and are usually distinguishable by their larger scale and decoration. One such house is located at 1202 21st Street. Designed by Clayton in 1888 for real estate broker Gustave Meyer, this house represents one of the more highly stylized and ornamental houses in the Lost Bayou neighborhood. Though stylized, this house is not overly conspicuous in the district, as its size and form are similar to the more modest versions of center passage houses. The raised center passage house has Queen Anne ornamentation, but its symmetrical façade evokes a sense of classicism. The facade is clad in both wood siding and stucco, and the house is topped by a hipped roof with front and side dormers. There is an interior chimney at the center of the house. A full-width front porch is inset under the roof and accessed with a center set of stairs. The front façade has three bays with a double-door primary entrance with transom. The three windows flanking the entrance are covered with non-historic metal storm shutters. The side windows are covered by wood storm shutters. The wood stair and porch frieze, posts, and baluster and railing are highly decorative, lending to its Queen Anne stylistic influences. The house has a side rear addition and its orientation has been altered. The house originally faced Avenue L, but currently faces 21st Street. Compared to most of the residences in the neighborhood, this residence presents more finely crafted detailing and a higher level quality of design. It also reflects the work of a prominent architect who had a profound influence on the physical character of Galveston.

Serial Number: NRS79-11705
Property Name:Gustave A. Meyer House
Property Address: 1202 Twenty-First (Moody) Street
Architect/Builder: Nicholas J. Clayton
Owner: Vincent B. Mazzara (2/28/69),1202 Twenty-First Street, Galveston, TX
County: Galveston
City/Rural: Galveston
Block: 20
Lot: 1 p 2
Construction Date: 1887-1889
Period: VT
Description: One-story frame structure, square plan with rear ell, raised a full story on brick piers. There is a hip roof with four dormers and one curious diamond plan chimney. There is an inset front gallery and attached side and rear enclosed porches. Gallery ornamentation includes small boxed-x balusters, fanciful capitals, and a lattice work frieze.
Building Material: Wood frame
Building Material: Roof
Physical Condition: Good
Site: Original Yes
Site: Moved No
Alterations
Significance: The building was designed by Nicholas J. Clayton and is very simple in comparison to the architect's unusual style.
Area of Significance: Architecture
Level of Significance: State, Local
Designate:HABS, HSI
Original Use: Residence
Present Use: Residence
Relationship to Surroundings
Acreage/Boundary Description:
Bibliographic Data: Historic American Buildings Survey, Galveston Architectural Inventory, 1966-67.
See Info/Correspondence Files
Recorded By BCN (11/26/79)