< Previous10 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 I spent a lot of time thinking about my own answer to a question Coast Monthly posed to readers about what time period they would live in if they could choose any era. I envied the quick, deci- sive answers some readers gave. I also admired that so many who responded to the informal social media poll chose the 1920s, a boisterous decade of pros- perity, fast cars, jazz, speak- easies and wild youth. But I was stumped and obviously lack imagina- tion. After much reflection, I decided any time predat- ing air-conditioning and indoor plumbing was off the table. A nonstarter. My time is here and now. This issue of Coast Monthly, largely by coinci- dence, has strong 1920s themes. It pays tribute to the rebirth of Hotel Galvez, now called Grand Galvez by new owners who are investing heavily in renovation of the beloved property, which has faced the Gulf of Mexico for more than a century from its perch on Galveston’s seawall. The Coast Monthly team spent a late November afternoon with Mark Wyant, and his wife Lorenda, who are overseeing every detail in a renovation that will restore the hotel’s Jazz Age energy. The changes evoke the 1920s when the island was a hot spot for gamblers and a major tourist destina- tion centered on casinos and other vice ventures, according to historians. You’ll learn more about the Grand Galvez’s past and future in these pages. New years are about re- newal and looking ahead with purpose. But they also have a way of making us reflect on time, how quickly it moves or the ways we measure it. While I was pondering what era I would have most liked to live, I also was wondering why a ’20s theme emerged so organically in this issue. Could it be that after our own pandemic prohibition, everyone is yearning to get out there and roar? We tend to catalog years in terms of good and bad because they contain col- lectively and personally our happiest and saddest moments. On the upper Texas coast, for example, we have hurricane years — 1900, 2008 and 2017— forever etched in our memories. In a world that’s changing at a rapid pace, Coast Monthly in this issue celebrates how some things have withstood the test of time, still serving their original purpose, be it a seawall meant to save a city or a newspaper that has chronicled our good and bad times and will soon celebrate 180 years. Here’s to things that endure and a good and prosperous 2022. LAURA ELDER Coast Monthly Editor FROM THE EDITOR IN WITH THE OLDA trusted name with over 50 years of real estate experience Carolyn T. Gaido REALTOR ® CLHMS, CRS, RSPS, SRS 713.851.3377 CarolynGaido@SandNSea.com CarolynGaido.com Sand `N Sea Properties, LLC Top Agent Since 1999 Michael J. Gaido, III REALTOR ® 409.457.4900 MichaelGaido.com Kimberly A. Gaido REALTOR ® , SRS 713.498.2020 sandnsea.com 23009 BUENA Spacious 2-3BR/2BA home has beautiful views of the beach. 7216 AVENUE N ½ Build the home of your dreams on this Spectacular Bayfront lot. 3827 PERIWINKLE Must see 5BR/5.5BA located in the popular Beachside village neighborhood. 4115 GREENWING TEAL COURT Magnificent bayside treasure sitting on 1.5 lots with 5 bedrooms (2 primary) and 5 ½ baths. 4207 GHOST CRAB This 5BR/4BA Pirates Beach beauty offers expansive outside decking with great views of the Gulf of Mexico. 12701 MARIA COURT Well-maintained 2BR/2BA canal home on a quiet cul de sac in Spanish Grant. Gaido REAL ESTATE GROUP12 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 SHORELINES WE ASKED ON FACEBOOK The gambling era in Galveston, going to the Balinese room, the Turf Grill and the Hollywood Club where Frank Sinatra and the gang hung out. So there was bootlegging. The city was aglow with high rollers. Leona Pleasant roaring ‘20s. Laura Manning Stokes 1920s Galveston, when it was one of the thriving hubs of the united States. The streets hummed with foot traffic, taxis and buses. Cindy Milina I’d like to live in the 1500s. I’d like to be a part of Henry VIII’s court, to actually see what really happened with all of his wives. How he went from hot to not hot. Ginny McDonald Viking. True warriors. NormaJean Nelson This is going to make me sound so young, but probably the 1970s or ‘80s because the music and the fashion scenes were just absolutely killer. Audrey Reese 1800s America. Wild West Baby! Dan Keim Ancient Greece for the birth and reign of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC). A fascinating man who conquered the known world in his 33 years. Forest Riggs America’s Gilded Age because there was so much opportunity for innovation and growth. Back when Galveston was “The Queen City of The Gulf.” Seth Alford This would have been an easy ques- tion for the 13-year-old me — in Louis XIV’s court. For the somewhat older me, here and now. Holly Thorson The 1800s, because the clothes were so beautiful. I probably wouldn’t be able to wear them though. Clara Miller London, England during World War II. Paul Ray Heinrich This one, right now. History in the making is all around us — we each have the ability to work toward a positive impact for our present day and for future generations. If I could go back in time, though, the 1920s — there was so much gestating at that time, and my stars the clothes and music! Holly Hopkins Victorian. Beautiful clothes. Helen Pausewang My great-grandmother’s obituary was in 1891, and she was 92 and ½. That’s what it said. It said she came to Galveston with her family and was one of the first women here, and she loved to tell about those early days. Not sure I would like living in the conditions described in history books, but maybe the 1850s and 1860s. She could tell me her memories and I would know how they survived the Civil War. Ethel Lou MacBeth The roaring ‘20s. I’m such a bad girl BOI (born on the island) it would have been fun during Prohibition. Wanda McWhorter Huddleston If you could live in one historical era, which would you choose and why? r OSENBE r G LIB r A r Y Downtown Galveston on 21st Street near Market, circa 1920.Advanced Care for BACK AND NECK PAIN CLOSE TO HOME Spine Specialists Serving Clear Lake If you suffer from back and neck pain, you have options when it comes to treatment. The specialists at Houston Methodist Spine Center at Clear Lake are experts in treating back and neck pain — from everyday discomfort to complex conditions and injuries. And, during the coronavirus outbreak, you can be confident that we are taking every necessary precaution to keep you safe during your visit. Our Spine Center provides: • A multidisciplinary team of board-certified doctors • Advanced treatment ranging from nonsurgical options to minimally invasive surgery • Expedited appointments (within five business days) • A dedicated navigator • Personalized care conveniently located close to home Visit houstonmethodist.org/spine/clearlake to request an appointment online or call 281.523.3355 .14 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 JENNIFER REYNOLDS A GRAND COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 15 Beloved island hotel undergoes renovations inspired by ‘Great Gatsby’ era story by BARBARA CANETTI MAKEOVER The Grand Galvez received a fresh coat of paint when new owners Mark and Lorenda Wyant purchased the 110-year- old hotel in March. The Wyants wanted to change the color (from white to pink) to represent the building’s original color and scheme when it opened in 1911.16 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 ST u A r T VILLAN u EVA Mark and Lorenda Wyant have undertaken a comprehensive renovation of the 224-room Grand Galvez hotel, which they purchased in March. They are bringing the property up to code and redecorating it in the style of roaring ‘20s. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 17 FEATURE I slanders have a sense of ownership of many things, but few things inspire it more than the hotel at 2024 Seawall Blvd., formerly known as Hotel Galvez and undergoing a comprehensive renovation as the Grand Galvez. Just ask Mark and Lorenda Wyant, who in March bought the 110-year-old hotel for $50 million and embarked on a $50 million restoration of the property that will bring it up to modern codes while re-decorating it in the style of a century earlier. When, under the direction of the Wyants, crews began returning the hotel from white to its original pink color and testing various hues, it caused a mild uproar in traditional and social media. And on a late November night, the hotel’s bar was crowd- ed with people, including some who traveled to the island to see for themselves the changes transpiring at the beloved property that remains open during renovation. Loyal fans of the 224-room hotel are protective. But the Wy- ants are too, and have worked to assure concerned observers the long-reigning “Queen of the Gulf” was in good hands. “We want to return this to its original splendor — and then some,” Mark said. “The improvements and the extra pizzazz will take it from being just a hotel to being a grand hotel — the Grand Galvez.” The Wyants live in Dallas, but their Galveston roots are deep. Lorenda grew up in the Houston area and spent her childhood going to the beach with her family. Her grand- mother owned a souvenir shop on the island and her father had a surf shop. She stayed at the Hotel Galvez on the night of her high school prom. Mark grew up visiting Galveston on a regular basis and considers the island an integral part of his life. Mark, a native Texan, is no stranger to the island or the ho- tel business. He’s a hotel developer and owns or has owned properties in Texas, Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina. Acquisition of Hotel Galvez marked the third property Mark has owned in Galveston. In 1999, he built the Hol- iday Inn Express at First Street and Seawall Boulevard. He sold it in 2005. In 2004, he developed the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort, where the noted Captain Jack‘s hotel once stood. He sold that in 2014 and went on to create The Saint Hotel brand with properties in New Orleans, Key West and Charleston. Mark recently sold The Saint Hotel New Orleans and The Saint Hotel Charleston. The Wyants haven’t moved to Galveston, but they spend many hours on the island working — often hands on — on the restoration, which is handled by their company Seawall People on the beach outside the Hotel Galvez, circa 1915. r OSENBE r G LIB r A r Y18 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 Hospitality. Although they have brought in a new hotel man- ager, Darryl Hill, many of the local employees have been invited to stay on. The fresh coat of pink paint is a reflection of the Roaring ‘20s that matches nicely with the red roof and tropical surround- ings. “It just seems to work well,” said Lorenda, who noted that she’s designing the interiors to reflect F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” style of opulence and “not something you will see everywhere.” From the harlequin-style dia- mond floors in the entrance halls to the black-and-white mar- ble touches, wrought-iron rails and doors, red carpeting and cane furniture in the lobby, the interiors will be a throwback to that era, Lorenda said. “Looking back at that era, it was a time of optimism and new exuberance in America,” she said, noting the Jazz Age followed the end of World War I and was a time of unprecedented economic growth and prosperity in the United States. To add to the themed décor, Mark has purchased a 1915 Ford Model T Speedster, which he plans to park permanently in an indoor area on the east side of the building. He also is moving all the hotel’s historical exhibits, which are presently hidden away in a basement hallway, with plans to showcase the hotel’s rich histo- ry and notable patrons from the past. The lobby bar — original to the property — soon will be moved to the west loggia of the building and into the Music Room, a large space used for weddings and festive FEATURE “The improvements and the extra pizzazz will take it from being just a hotel to being a grand hotel — the Grand Galvez,” MARK WYANT Mark Wyant is no stranger to Galveston or the hotel business. The Grand Galvez is the third property he has owned on the island. ST u A r T VILLAN u EVAgatherings. A new bar will be constructed along the ren- ovated west hall, known as Peacock Alley, named after the way early patrons would dress up and strut — like proud peacocks — along the formal hallways to the Music Room. Huge crystal chandeliers, encased in large brass- bell coverings, will hang from the high ceilings. Walls surrounding existing meeting rooms will be re- moved and new gratings will be installed based on early photographs of the building. The hotel’s front desk will resemble a railroad ticket booth, with iron de- tailing and glass features all around it. It will be moved to the center of the lobby. During renovations, orig- inal moldings and ceilings were found in the walls of the hotel that are being restored for the first time since 1962. Guest rooms and suites are being redone in a deep indigo blue and white color palette, matched with couches covered in tropical green and white palm patterns and white lacquered furniture, offset with light sky-blue ceilings. The suites will be individually decorated, Lorenda said. The mysterious suite 501 — rumored to be haunted by the spirit of a woman named Audra, who took her life in the 1950s when she was mistakenly told her betrothed had died at sea — might have some special attention. Guests often request the haunted room, and the Wyants agreed it should be made unique. “We are thinking of a creative way to go and make it spe- cial for someone who wants to be in this room,” Mark said, referring to it as the Audra Suite. And perhaps one of the most opulent features will be a 16-foot-high fountain in front of the hotel that will stretch 35 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 19 DID YOU KNOW? Notable facts about the Grand Galvez, formerly known as Hotel Galvez: • The hotel was built with $1 million after the devastating 1900 Storm • It’s known as “Queen of the Gulf.” • It opened on June 10, 1911. • rooms were $2 per night in 1911. • It served as a temporary White House for Franklin Delano roosevelt • It served as the World War II Coast Guard Facility. • Former celebrity guests include Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. • It was headquarters for “Pageants of Pulchritude,” predecessor to the Miss universe Pageant. • The Spa at the Grand Galvez was built in 2008. • The hotel underwent $11 million in centennial renovations in 2011. • It once housed a barbershop and tailor. • room 501 is haunted. feet across and made of Calacatta marble from Italy, with six dancing dolphins spraying water into several sculpted tiers and pedestal bowls. He got the idea from The Breakers, a luxury and historic resort in Palm Beach. In addition, 16 white decorative urns — each 4 feet tall and made from plaster — will be attached to the exterior of the four towers on the roof, reminiscent of the original design, said contractor Alex Gonzalez, with Creative Com- binations — and just another special touch in the renewal of the hotel. “This restoration is very expensive, but it is not a superfi- cial redo,” Mark said. “We wanted to bring it up to standards while being sure the integrity of the building and its history remains. It will become a destination, I think.” Renderings of what the Grand Galvez front desk, Peacock Alley and bar will look like when renovations are complete. G r AND GALVEZ r ESO r T & SPANext >