Tax Credit Program Highlight: Hendley Row Building

History

The Strand, Galveston’s historic commercial district, was built along the shipping channel, and made Galveston the largest, most prosperous city in Texas and one of the nation’s busiest ports in the 19th century. In the midst of this bustle of cotton trade, the Hendley Row Building was constructed in 1858. This series of four adjoining buildings, designed in the Greek Revival style, now constitute the oldest remaining commercial buildings in Galveston. The building was constructed to serve as offices for brothers William and Joseph Hendley, prominent cotton and commission merchants. The building also served as a Confederate watch tower during the Civil War. Most of the building was abandoned at the end of the 20th century, and in 2008 the Hendley was named to Preservation Texas’ “Most Endangered Historic Places” list due to its deteriorating structural condition.

Rehabilitation Project

This complete stabilization and rehabilitation of the eastern half of the Hendley complex was begun in 2012. First proposed as a federal tax credit project, the applicants opted later to pursue the new state tax credit once it was enacted in 2015. The rehabilitation not only has saved the oldest surviving commercial building in Galveston, but also has begun to revitalize the surrounding edge of the Strand district. Construction work included extensive masonry and structural repair, restoration of historic windows, partial elevation of the ground level floors to ameliorate flooding issues, and construction of a small egress stair addition at the rear. Fittingly, the offices of the Galveston Historical Foundation have now relocated to the building.