Moody Mansion

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Moody Mansion, built in 1895 and located at 2618 Broadway Boulevard, is a 31-room Romanesque jewel. The home is named for William Lewis Moody, Jr., an American financier and entrepreneur in the cotton business who bought the home from Galveston socialite Narcissa Willis.

The architect for the home was William H. Tyndall, an Englishman, He used elements from different cultures and periods, leading to an eclectic appearance. The interiors were designed by Potter & Stymus, a famous New York firm of the time that also worked for such clients as Thomas Edison, William Rockefeller and President Ulysses S. Grant.

After the death of Willis in 1899, the house was offered for sale. But, after Great Storm of 1900 in September, few bidders stepped forward. However, shortly after the storm, the home was sold to William Lewis Moody, Jr. for the sum of $20,000 (vs. its $100,000 value). And, Moody and his family were all moved in time to celebrate Christmas the same year.

Many technological advances of the period iare present in the four-story mansion, including a one-passenger elevator, a dumbwaiter, speaking tubes in the pantry for communicating with the kitchen staff in the basement, heated drying racks in the laundry room, and lighting fixtures using both gas and electricity. The house also has its own rainwater cistern.

Members of the Moody family resided in the home until 1986. Since then, it was been turned into a historic museum commemorating the Moody family. And, on Many 13, 1994, Moody Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places

To find out about available tours, their dates and times, visit www.moodymansion.org/.