Silk Stocking

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My plans this morning included a slow drive through the entirety of Galveston’s Silk Stocking Historic District. I wanted to see all of the beautiful old homes and mansions. Regretfully, a self-guided tour was one I had not yet - In all my days on the island - put on my agenda.

Before I headed out, I did a bit of homework, searching online to get the facts about the district - specifically, its exact location and boundaries. Silk Stocking, I learned, is situated south of Broadway Boulevard and bounded by 25th and 23rd streets, from Avenue K to Avenue P. It is recognized as one of the most intact neighborhoods of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The district’s name refers to the wealth of its early residents; all were considered prosperous; all could easily afford to purchase silk stockings - unlike many others on the island at that time.

Silk Stocking was originally developed in the 1870s. It featured a mix of single-family houses, a small corner store, large vacant blocks and industrial sites. Until the 1890s, the core of the Silk Stocking District was occupied by the Texas Cotton Press. After the Texas Press went bankrupt and was demolished, the area was subdivided, and the lots sold at auction in 1898.

Many buildings here survived the Great Storm of 1900 and subsequent grade raising, when The Seawall was built and sand was pumped in to raise the level of the land beneath it.

The homes in this 14-block section of historic Galveston include some of the island’s finest examples of Queen Anne architecture. The entire area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Today, 25th Street (also called Rosenberg Street) is the main link between the historic Downtown/Strand/Postoffice/Seaport area and The Seawall, with a trolley line connecting them.

Nowadays, the homes for sale in Galveston’s Silk Stocking District range in size from modest to massive, with the average featuring at least 2,000 square feet. Prices range from the $150,000s to the $750,000s.