< Previous50 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 COUNTER CULTURE room and their lifestyle. “Everyone gathers in the kitchen, so this works better,” Melanie said. “We had a dining room and table in our other house and never really used it. Besides, there are so many good restaurants here.” The four-bedroom house, which also has an office that can double as a dining area if need- ed, was built in 1881 and then rebuilt in 1893 after the devastat- ing East End fire that destroyed hundreds of homes. The large, covered porch and four symmet- rical walk-out windows lead to a brick path and old-growth trees that shade the house. When they walked into the house for the first time the layout and design of the kitchen immediately caught their atten- tion, they said. The kitchen cabinets in a rich forest green are plentiful and rise to the high ceiling. A row of glass-fronted, lighted cabinets shows off Michael’s golfing trophies and several objects special to the couple. The ceil- ing is adorned with two giant wood beams, which match the color of the custom range hood trim. Below the hood is a large, six-burner gas stove with a pot filler faucet in the wall. The backsplash surrounding the kitchen looks like white marble and features elongated, hexag- onal tiles. The island, which holds a pull-out microwave, also has a variety of drawers and cabinets for extra storage. A long, gold six-light fixture hangs over the island, providing more than adequate light. Nearby is the walk-in pantry — fronted by two antique French doors — that hides appliances and sup- plies, keeping the countertops clean and uncluttered. And, because the couple will be entertaining friends and family, a dry-bar nook has been carved into the wall, where wine and adult beverages can be stored. “Everything happens for a reason,” Melanie said. “We are happy here. This is our forever home and we are not moving again.” (Above) During a Realtor’s open house, Michael Crain and Melanie Kropik fell in love with the large, open kitchen of their East End home in Galveston. (Opposite) The six-burner gas stove is accented by a custom range hood with wood trim matching the beams spanning the kitchen ceiling. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 51 ALBACORE TUNA SALAD This recipe is a summer favorite and flexible. Adjust quantities to suit your tastes. 1 pound penne pasta, cooked and drained 2 (12-ounce) cans albacore tuna, drained 1 cup grated carrots ½ cup chopped sweet onion 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped red and yellow bell peppers ¼ cup chopped green onions 1½ cups mayonnaise Salt and pepper to taste Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate. Next day add more mayonnaise and mix well. MY MOM BESSIE MOSELEY’S FRESH APPLE CAKE 4 cups fresh peeled, diced or shredded apples 2 cups sugar 1 cup mixed nuts 3 cups flour ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon cinnamon (or more to taste) ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs, well beaten Combine apples, sugar and nuts and let stand 1 hour, stirring often. Add dry ingredients to apples, hand mix well. Add in oil, vanilla and eggs. Don’t use an electric mixer. Pour into greased and floured tube pan and bake at 350 F for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until top springs back in center.52 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 Claire and Erik Garza have transformed the Sealy Hutchings home in Galveston back into a family home. The house was built in 1896 for Sealy and Mary Moody Hutchings. Then there was a period when it was apartments and later a short-term rental. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 53 HOMEPORT ‘HAPPY HERE’ Islanders transform Victorian showpiece house into a warm, livable family home story by BARBARA CANETTI photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS T he challenge facing Erik and Claire Garza when they bought the historic 1896 Sealy and Mary Hutchings House in Galveston was turning it from a staid Vic- torian showpiece into a warm, friendly family home for the couple and their two young children. “It was a beautiful, livable house, but not really a place where kids would be comfort- able,” Claire said. “Our goal was to lighten it up. We appreciated the history here and wanted to be historically accurate, but with two kids, it needed to be more family orient- ed, more coastal.” The house was built for Sealy and Mary Moody Hutchings on five lots across the street from his parents’ home on Avenue O. It was designed with a wind porch that makes the east side of this house the perfect place to catch Gulf breezes. The house has a storied history, from the elegance of the Hutchings family to a period when it was apartments and later a short- term rental. In 1994, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Despite the changes, much of its original character had been retained and the Garzas wanted to keep to its original designs. Enter this three-story George B. Stowe-de- signed Queen Anne house through perhaps the widest front door in Galveston — the 54 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 55 HOMEPORT (From top) Claire and Erik Garza wanted to create a family home for their two children, Blase and Reed, while also keeping much of the original character and details from the historic residence as possible; a formal living room connects to a curved nook where Reed likes to read and Claire’s home office; a grand piano, possibly original to the 1896 Sealy Hutchings home, sits at the far end of the parlor. (Opposite) The entryway features intricate latticework. “We appreciated the history here and wanted to be historically accurate, but with two kids, it needed to be more family oriented, more coastal.” CLAIRE GARZA56 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 HOMEPORT (Clockwise from top) The formal dining room features a coffered ceiling, decorative plaster molding, and is home to Claire’s oyster plate collection; the Garzas kept the large brick chimney at the center of the kitchen. They created quartz-topped seating around the brick structure; a narrow French door found in the garage of the 1896 Sealy Hutchings home was repurposed into a pantry door. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 57 original 5-foot-wide front entrance. The ornate transoms and intricate latticework and moldings throughout the house have been refurbished and retained, giving this charming house lots of character. Four rooms on the first floor open from the grand hallway. On one side is the parlor, with a vintage piano and two matching couches facing each other. Next to the parlor is a deep blue formal dining room, decorated with Claire’s oyster plate collection and a variety of blue and white ginger jars. The white coffered ceiling holds a crystal chandelier, which gives the room an elegant appearance. On the other side of the hallway is a room she uses as a home office, which leads into a cozy, curved nook, favored by 9-year-old Reed as his reading room. The formal living room is attached to the nook. In the back of the house is the enormous white kitchen, which was a major overhaul for the Garzas. They worked with contractor Alex Gonza- lez of Creative Combinations Inc. to modernize the kitchen — retaining the large brick chimney in the center of the room and building a quartz- topped cabinet with seating around it. Claire found a discarded narrow French door in the garage and chal- lenged Gonzalez to refinish it — he removed the mint green paint from the wood and windows — and used it as the entry into the pantry. “It must have taken all day to clean up this door, but I really wanted to use it here,” she said. Up a winding staircase to the second level is where the bedrooms are. The floor plan upstairs mimics the first-floor layout, with four rooms emanating off a main landing. Reed’s bedroom is adjacent to his 5-year-old sister Blase’s pink room, decorated with a whimsical painting done by Claire of a bunny — appropriate for her room because her nickname is Bunny. Across the hall is the family room or sitting room attached to the prima- ry bedroom and bath. The previous owners left a massive king-size bed frame that probably couldn’t have been moved and the Garzas decorat- ed around it. The third floor has another play- room, guest room for family and full kitchen, but that area hasn’t yet been renovated. Several additional spaces behind closed doors await restoration. “So many projects!” Claire said. Claire Garza’s painting of a heron hangs with family photos on the winding staircase.58 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 HOMEPORT The couple, both maritime lawyers, do a considerable amount of the renovations and painting themselves. Claire’s artworks — acrylic paintings of birds, animals, the tall ship Elissa and beach life — decorate many of the walls. She also hand-painted two powder rooms: one with a Mardi Gras theme, the second with a striped design to match an oyster shell mirror she made with Reed’s help. There are eight fireplaces in the house but none are working now. They originally were coal burning and later converted to gas, but they’re on the list of things to redo. Each is a different color pastel tile, all original to the house. (Clockwise from top) The primary bedroom features a massive king-sized bed frame left by the previous owners and an ornate chandelier; Claire Garza’s paintings hang above the fireplaces throughout the home. There are eight fireplaces, each with a different pastel color tile, all original to the house. “We are still working on it. But we really are happy here. It’s a great house and was just crying out for a family or kids and entertaining.” CLAIRE GARZA Shopping for the “just right” furnish- ings for the house has been a chal- lenge, but the couple has been able to purchase period-style chandeliers, furniture and fixtures to acknowledge the house’s deep history. “It has been a busy year — we bought it and then a month later was Hurricane Beryl, which showed us where unknown leaks and problems were,” she said. “We are still working on it. But we really are happy here. It’s a great house and was just crying out for a family or kids and entertaining.” COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2025 59 August 29-31, 2025 SCAN FOR TICKETS! NEW! SUZY BOGGUSS CONCERT Imagine your home, totally organized! Custom Closets Garage Cabinets Home Offices Wall Beds Wall Organizers Pantries Laundries Wall Units Hobby Rooms Garage Flooring Media Centers and more... Call for a free in home design consultation and estimate CM Follow us SPECIAL FINANCING FOR 18 MONTHS With approved credit. Call or ask your Designer for details. Not available in all areas. 409-904-0787 www.closetsbydesign.com Locally Owned and Operated! 2024 © All Rights Reserved. Closets by Design, Inc. 40 % O ff Plus Free Installation Terms and Conditions: 40% off any order of $1000 or more, 30% off any order of $700- $1000 on any complete unit of custom Closet, Garage or Home Office, and any other products. Not valid with any other offer. Free installation with any unit order of $850 or more. 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