< Previous50 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 HOMEPORT one more step added to each porch. Wilkins spends much of her time on a wraparound porch, reading or visiting with friends. With the wicker furniture, it feels very coastal and comfortable. But step in- side, and you’re transported back in time. A formal reception hall, paneled in dark wood, greets visitors with a sense of old-world elegance. It opens into a bright living room filled with natural light from five large windows. A decorative fireplace anchors the room, complemented by a white sofa with coral and white pillows. Splashes of teal through- out the room reinforce a seaside aesthetic nestled within Victorian charm. The plaster walls are adorned with art- work — mostly by local artists — depicting familiar island scenes and Texas landscapes. “The problem with collecting art in these old houses is there are so many windows,” Wilkins said. “I’ve run out of space.” Still, the house is “plenty big” for her, she said. The spacious dining room showcases a glass-topped table that easily seats 10. “Where else would I be able to fit a table this size?” she said. Large rugs warm the original longleaf pine floors that run throughout the home. The only change to the home’s original footprint was to enclose a small porch off the kitchen to create a cozy breakfast room with a built-in banquette. Wilkins often uses it when tutoring local students, appreciating the relaxed environment it provides. The kitchen has been updated for modern use, with one charming exception: A re- purposed church altar from La Grange now (From top) Large windows allow plenty of natural light into the living room, which is anchored by a decorative fireplace; a small porch was closed in to create a breakfast nook with a built-in banquette. “I love history and I love stories, and this house and neighborhood have lots of both.” CLAIRE WILKINS COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 51 A long glass-topped table fills the formal dining room. (Right, from top) The kitchen island is a repurposed altar from a church in La Grange; a small powder room is tucked under the back staircase. serves as an island, providing storage for pots, serving dishes and platters. Sitting on 1.5 lots, the property also in- cludes a pool and a garage. Wilkins enjoys spending time in the garden and yard, calling it another peaceful extension of the home. The house has two staircases to the sec- ond floor: a winding formal staircase off the reception hall with a mid-level landing and a steeper, more enclosed back staircase. At the top of the stairs is a wooden chil- dren’s pew from a church in Calvert, north- west of Houston, below a large painting of picnicking children. Upstairs, there are three bedrooms. The primary bedroom faces the street and is bright and airy, with four large windows framing the bed. A second fireplace — this one faced with blue and white tile — retains its original grate and apron. The adjacent former trunk room — once used for luggage storage — has been con- verted into a bathroom. The second bedroom doubles as Wilkins’ office. The third features two full-size beds affectionately referred to as the “king and queen” — not because of their dimensions but their ornate headboards: one with a 52 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 HOMEPORT (From top) A second-floor guest room features two full-size beds with headboards adorned with a king and queen’s crown; a shaded seating area with turquoise umbrellas and cushions matches the water in the backyard pool; The wraparound porch is east facing, providing a shady spot to read or visit with neighbors in the afternoons. (Opposite) The fireplace in the primary bedroom features the original grate and apron. COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 53 king’s crown and the other with a queen’s. “I love these beds,” she said. “They’re very old, very heavy — but so beautiful.” Unlike many historic homes, Wilkins’ house boasts an abundance of closet space — and even a full attic. “So many closets,” she said. “That makes me very happy.” Wilkins, who grew up in Houston, moved to Galveston more than 15 years ago. She and her husband originally purchased a home just two doors down in 2008 and just days before Hurricane Ike struck the island. Fortunately, both homes were built slightly higher than the neighborhood norm and weren’t damaged. “This is a wonderful house and a wonder- ful neighborhood,” Wilkins said. “We really feel the love on 24th Street.” “This is a wonderful house and a wonderful neighborhood. We really feel the love on 24th Street.” CLAIRE WILKINS Kimberly A. Gaido 713.498.2020 REALTOR®, SRS KimberlyGaido@sandnsea.com A TRUSTED NAME WITH OVER 50 YEARS OF REAL ESTATE EXPERIENCE Michael J. Gaido, III 409.457.4900 | REALTOR®, ABR, GRI, RSPS, SFR, SRES, SRS Michael@michaelgaido.com Carolyn T. Gaido | 713.851.3377 REALTOR®, CLHMS, CRS, RSPS, SRS CarolynGaido@sandnsea.com CarolynGaido.com | Top Agent Since 1999 1319 CORAL WAY 4BR/2BA, 1922 SQ FT 9208 WEST BAY ROAD 5BR/5.5BA, 2747 SQ FT 16635 JAMAICA COVE ROAD 3BR/3BA, 1725 SQ FT 4135 GREAT BLUE HERON 4BR/4.5BA, 2654 SQ FT 26119 FLAMINGO 3/4BR/3BA, 2701 SQ FT 2314 BERNARDO DE GALVEZ 4BR/3BA, 2268 SQ FT54 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 FEATURE ‘WORTH SAVING’ Silk Stocking island neighborhood marks preservation milestone story by BARBARA CANETTI photos by JENNIFER REYNOLDS F ifty years after Galveston first stitched the Silk Stocking neighborhood into its historic fabric, the district remains a living tapestry of Victorian turrets, wraparound porches, gracious homes and hurricane-tested resilience. Once the domain of some of the city’s more prosperous families — whose silk-clad presence lent the area its genteel name — the 14-block neighborhood now celebrates a half century since the inception of the Silk Stocking Historic District. Today, the tree-shaded streets tell stories not just of wealth and architecture but of survival, reinven- tion and a community determined to keep the past vividly alive, its residents say. Don Dressler, president of the Silk Stocking Historic District Association, said his group has two main purposes: to promote and educate about the value of preservation of historic prop- erties and to create public events that encourage neighbors to be involved, thus forming a close- knit community. “The association was formed because we were losing these architectural gems,” Dressler said. “The wrecking ball in the 1960s was demolish- ing homes here, and there was an outcry from residents. They didn’t want to lose any more of the houses.” Residents of the neighborhood, which is about 14 blocks bounded south of Broadway between 23rd and 25th streets, from Avenue K to Avenue P, sought help from Galveston’s Landmark Commis- sion in 1975. The neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Those recognitions provide protective regulations and Stately homes line 25th Street in the Silk Stocking Historic District in Galveston. The 14-block neighborhood is celebrating 50 years since its inception as a historic district. COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 5556 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 FEATURE guidelines for property changes, demolitions and new construction. The district, one of four historical neigh- borhoods in the city — East End, Lost Bayou and Strand/Downtown are the others — is comprised of 180 to 250 homes, and the majority are historic, Dressler said. “About 90 percent of the houses in Silk Stocking are from the 1800s and early 1900s,” Dressler said. “The value and beauty of the architectural integrity is worth saving.” Local Realtor and neighborhood resident David Bowers noted the designation is an “integrity issue.” (From top) Harold McCracken and his wife, Debra, are rebuilding their fire damaged 1903 home in the Silk Stocking Historic District in Galveston. It was heavily damaged in April by the deadly fire at the George Ball House next door; a sign for the Silk Stocking Historic District stands in the median on 25th Street at Avenue L. COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 57 Closingsdon’t havetobescary! SouthLandTitlemakes theprocesssweetand simple—soyoucan enjoythetreatofa smoothtransaction. NOTRICKS, JUSTTREATS! Studies done by the national preservation organizations prove that safeguarding and protecting historic structures is good for the city and good for the neighborhood. Govern- ment help was needed in the early 1970s to foreclose on houses when taxes weren’t paid for many years and assist in shutting down residences that were a blight to the area and dangerous to locals. The neighborhood developed in the 1870s as a mix of single-family homes and cottag- es, local stores and a large industrial site, the Texas Cotton Press. When the company went bankrupt and the facility demolished, the land was subdivided and lots auctioned in 1898 for residential growth. Noted architects, including Charles W. Bulger, designed the Queen Anne, Greek Revival and Victorian houses that populate the area. Because there were open lots, houses were moved from other parts of the city into the neighborhood, including a defining structure, the George Ball House on 24th Street, built in 1854 and moved in 1902. In April, it sustained significant fire damage in a deadly blaze and its future is uncertain. But owners of the burned houses adjacent to the Ball House say they plan to rebuild and rejoin the neighborhood. Debra and Harold McCracken have owned their house on 24th Street since the early 2000s and love the neighborhood, they said. “We always knew we lived in a great neighborhood and Covid brought us closer, visiting up and down our porches every eve- ning,” Debra said. “But the fire strengthened those ties tenfold.” After the fire, neighbors rallied to help the McCrackens with housing, food, clothing and more. “I can’t image any place other than 24th Street and Silk Stocking,” Debra said. “We loved our old house, but neighbors are what makes it ‘home.’” As part of the 50th-anniversary cele- bration, the neighborhood is planning a garden party in October and selling deco- rative lawn signs for neighbors to display, Dressler said. “This is a special area,” he said. “To have this kind of inventory of historic homes, plus being a beach town, it really is unique. We love it here.” 58 COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 COUNTER CULTURE VINTAGE CHARM A small, outdated island kitchen undergoes modern makeover story BARBARA CANETTI | photos by STUART VILLANUEVA C arol and Scott Dale’s Galves- ton home is something of a riddle. Is it one house, two houses or three? Was it moved, rebuilt or both? Was it constructed in the 1850s and reassembled in the 1880s? The answer, it turns out, is “yes” to all of the above. Their cozy Greek Revival cot- tage — likely the oldest structure on 25th Street — was built in the 1850s, moved or repositioned in the 1880s, and pieced together from what the Dales believe were three buildings. The most puzzling part of the home’s history might be its kitch- en. Originally, the cooking space stood separately in the yard, Carol believes. At some point, someone added on a small galley-style kitchen. At 10 feet by 11 feet, the out- dated little room posed two big challenges: accommodating mod- ern appliances and cabinetry and ensuring petite Carol could easily reach what she needed. So in January, the couple turned to Galveston-based QuigStein Construction. Six weeks later, the transformation was complete. “We made use of every single inch of this space,” Scott said. (Right) Carol Dale’s kitchen in her historic Greek Revival cottage on 25th Street in Galveston combines brightness and function without sacrificing the home’s 19th-century character. (Above) A reconditioned brass chandelier — rewired and adorned with crystals — adds vintage charm in the kitchen. COASTMONTHLY.COM | OCTOber 2025 59Next >