Victor Gustafson Home
Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This raised one-story cottage originally was located at 620 Market Street. Before the property was purchased by Victor Gustafson in 1895, it had belonged to Swiss immigrant Henry Rosenberg, who is remembered as a prominent businessman and public benefactor. The builder of this cottage, Victor Gustafson (1870-1956), was a native of Finland. He worked on the Galveston wharves and constructed this home for his family during the last years of the nineteenth century. Although the house was partially destroyed during the 1900 storm, Gustafson was able to rebuild and to enlarge it as his family grew in number. A good example of a working class home in the 1880-1900 period of Galveston history, the structure was moved to this site in the east end historical district in 1979. From 1918 until 1965, this lot on Postoffice Street was the location of the Cordray Drugstore. Well known to Galvestonians, the business was begun by pharmacist Edmund Joseph Cordray (1879-1965). Cordray was a native of Galveston and a graduate of the University of Texas School of Pharmacy. The drugstore closed upon his death. The structure at the site was condemned and torn down, leaving an empty lot to which the Victor Gustafson home was moved. (1985)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Victor Gustafson, a Finnish immigrant who worked the busy Galveston wharves, built this raised cottage for his family in the closing years of the 19th century. The devastating 1900 hurricane — the deadliest natural disaster in American history — partly destroyed the house, but Gustafson rebuilt and even enlarged it as his family grew. Moved to the East End Historical District in 1979, the cottage is a fine example of a Galveston working-class home from the 1880s–1900 era.
Why it matters
This modest cottage speaks for the immigrant laborers who built and rebuilt Galveston, and its survival of the 1900 storm ties an ordinary family to one of America's great cautionary tales about the sea.
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Related people
- · Victor Gustafson
- · Henry Rosenberg
Related events
- · 1900 Galveston hurricane
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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