Condition Assessment of Cultural Heritage Buildings in the Historic Strand District of Galveston

Abstract

AbstractThe city of Galveston is located by the coast on the Galveston Island in Texas. Despite its flat and narrow land, the island became an important port in the history for thousands of people to enter the country and a significant market for trade and supplied labor to cotton planters. The city gained its architectural characteristics in the late 19th century as it grew to become a city of expanding commercial and shipping center. However, the hurricane of September 8, 1900, which is known as the deadliest natural disaster in North America, devastated the island by killing over six thousand people and destroying about one-third of the buildings. Hurricanes and tropical storms striking the coast along the Gulf of Mexico are known to have caused severe damage. Among the all, Harvey was the last destructive hurricane that affected the Galveston area in 2017. The community is still vulnerable, and in need of resilient design based on sound structures against hurricanes and storms. After the disasters, the economy has been adversely affected as well. The community has been in serious need for the revival to support the economy. The tourism industry of Galveston is based on leisure travel, conventions, and tourism. The city has an invaluable cultural asset. The majority of the cultural heritage is located at the East End Historic District, Silk Stocking National Historic District, Lost Bayou Historic District and Strand/Mechanic Historic District. Among these districts, the Strand hosts a great many number of historic buildings that are still in use today. Most of these buildings were damaged in the 1885 fire and numerous hurricanes and tropical storms. This research presents an investigation of the historical building profile of the Strand District. Historical structures have been investigated via the Rapid Visual Inspection approach. Based on the results, a condition assessment is obtained and a behavioral pattern is defined for the historic structures of the Stand District of Galveston.KeywordsHistorical building profile in Strand-GalvestonIron facade buildingsAssessment of historic structuresRapid visual inspection