Landes-McDonough House
Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Confederate veteran and capitalist Henry A. Landes (1844-1919) had this house built in 1887-88. Designed by prominent architects George E. Dickey of Houston and D. A. Helmich, the house reportedly provided refuge to some 200 people during the disastrous 1900 hurricane. John P. McDonough, owner of a dry docks and ironworks business, purchased the property in 1911. Acquired by the Dominican Sisters in 1954, it housed a fine arts center for a number of years. The eclectic Victorian structure features Romanesque style accents in its fine ornamental terra cotta, brick and ironwork, and its exuberant parapet and towers. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1973
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Confederate veteran and capitalist Henry A. Landes had this exuberant Victorian house built in 1887–88 to designs by architects George E. Dickey and D. A. Helmich, its terra cotta, brickwork, ironwork, towers, and parapet showing off Romanesque accents. The house reportedly sheltered some 200 people during the catastrophic 1900 Galveston hurricane, the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Later owned by ironworks businessman John P. McDonough and then the Dominican Sisters, it long housed a fine arts center.
Why it matters
A survivor of the 1900 storm that killed thousands, the house stands as both a showpiece of Gilded Age Galveston wealth and a witness to the city's greatest tragedy.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Henry A. Landes
- · John P. McDonough
- · George E. Dickey
Related events
- · 1900 Galveston hurricane
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
The Wilbur Cherry House
Galveston, TX
New York native Wilbur Cherry fought in the Texas revolution and then helped launch the newspaper that survives today as the Galveston Daily News. Around 1852 he built this two-story home with its distinctive double gallery of square pillars, one of the oldest surviving residences on the island. His widow Catherine lived on there past the turn of the century.
A. Wilkins Miller Cottage
Galveston, TX
Built in 1895 for lumber magnate A. Wilkins Miller, this Victorian cottage reflects the Gilded Age fortunes made in Texas timber. As president of one of the state's largest lumber companies, Miller drove the growth of the southeast Texas timber industry and the rail lines that carried its product. The home's sawn brackets, stained glass, and bay windows mark the era's decorative taste.
Lockhart House
Galveston, TX
This Queen Anne residence began before 1889 as a modest one-story cottage and was transformed around 1894 by raising the original section to a second floor over a new ground level. Its owner, William B. Lockhart, was a son-in-law of Walter Gresham — builder of Galveston's famed Bishop's Palace — and rose to prominence as a county and federal judge, as did his son John after him. The house stands as a survivor of Galveston's Gilded Age prosperity.
Frederick William Beissner House
Galveston, TX
Built in 1888 for Galveston real estate agent Frederick William Beissner and his wife Mary, this Victorian home was designed by local architect William H. Roystone in the elaborate Eastlake manner. Its turned posts, jigsawn balustrades, floral motifs, corbelled chimney, and imbricated shingles crowned by a widow's walk show the ornamental exuberance of Galveston's Gilded Age prosperity. The house stayed in the Beissner family until 1913.