E.S. Levy Building Chronology

Source Notes
1870, Galveston Daily News (GDN), 16 April 1870 Announcement, plan of a theatre to be built ion the corner of Tremont and Market streets, Mr. T. H. Adams, architect. Willard Richardson, editor and publisher of GDN, was instigator of building opera house, cost was 150,000.
1871, GDN, 25 Feb 1871 Opening night, Tremont Opera House. Architects, the late Mr. T. H. Adams and Mr. F. S. Stewart. [F.S. Steward?] Lower story of iron, upper of brick with iron lintels and sills, elaborate cornice of galvanized iron, mansard roof. Grand entrance is twenty-five feet in width located on Market.
1877 (GDN, 22 July 1922) Levy & Weis started a clothing store, small and unimposing. The Levy of this partnership was A. Levy, father of H. H. Levy, the present manager and president of E. S. Levy & Co. The store occupied a site between Twenty-third and 22nd on Ave D (Market) and had a frontage of twenty feet. (GDN 9 Sept 1958 has original store at 2115 Market) [street numbering changed - original number of store is 115 e. Market, btwn 22 and 23rd]
1877-78, city directory Levy & Weiss, dealers in clothing, gent's furnished good, 1115 Market, News building. Listing under Levy, A .of Levy & Veis, 115 Market btwn 22 and 23rd, listing under Weis, Leopold of Levy & Weis, market btwn 22 and tremont, boards @ Tremont House.
1877-78, city directory Business listing: architects: Balch, Alonzo; Clamm, Charles; Clayton & Lynch; Duhamel & Lawlor; Hartrick, E. M.; Moser, John; Scott, J. S.; Tobey, N, Jr.;
1877-78, city directory Levy & Weis, p. 187 ad. 115 Market, News Building.
1878-79, city directory Levy & Weis, 115 Market, btwn 22 and Tremont
1880-81, city directory Levy & Weis, 119 E. Market
1881-82, city directory Levy & Weis, 119 Market St.
1882-83, city directory Levy & Weis, (Mrs. Esther Levy, Leopold Weis, clothing, 117-119 Market, btwn 22-23rd.
1884-85, 1886-87, city directories Levy & Weis, 117-119 Market, btwn 22 and 23rd
1888-89, city directory Levy & Cohen (Edward S. Levy, Robert I Cohen) clothing 117-119 E. Market, btwn 22-2rd.
1888-89, city directory Weis & Smith (Leopold Weis, Leon B. Smith) props Island City clothing factory, mfgrs shirts, jeans, pants, overalls etc, ss e Ave A btwn 23-24
1890-91, city directory Levy. E. S. & Co. Edward S. Levy, clothing, gents furnishings 2213-2215 Market btwn 22-23rd
1890-91, city directory Architects: Anderson C. D, sr.; Clayton, N. J; Muller, Alfred; Tyndall, W. H
1891-92, city directory Levy, ES & Co., 2213-2215 Market; architects: Bourgeois, Nitchner & Cooke; Clayton; Lescher & Van Brunt; Muller; Tobet; Tyndall
1893-94, city directory Levy, ES & Co. (Edward S and Harry H Levy), 2213-2215 Market. Architects: Bulger, CW-2207 Postoffice; Clayton; Cooke; Muller; Tyndall
1894 E. S. Levy purchased the theater.
1895 Tremont Opera house closes, Grand Opera house opens January 3, 1895
1895-96, city directory Levy, ES & Co (Edward S., Harry H, Gustav G), 2213-15 Market; Architects: Bulger; Clayton; McDonnell & Romagny; Muller; Stowe; Toby; Tyndall
1896-97, city directory. E.S. Levy & Co, 2213-15 Market (Market was renumbered) (Edward S. Levy , Harry H. Levy and Gustav G. Levy). Architects: Bulger; Clayton; McDonnell; Muller; Roth; Stowe; Tobey; Tozer & Ryals; Tindall, W. H.
1897, (5-8-97) mechanics lien, from Stewart Title property record books Mechanics lien filed by: Grantor: Rice, Baulard & Co. [paints, oils varnishes, contracting painters] ; - Grantee: F. J. Bergersen, Cont and E. S. Levy owner; Paul Shean - [plumber, gas, sheet iron and copper]; L. J. Elder; C. [mrgr, mfg - roofing, asphaltum, artesian wells]; Heldenbrahdt & Co.; Darlington Miller Lumber Co.[lumber, shingles, sash doors] ; James J. Prindeville [contracting plasterer]
1897 (GDN, 22 July 1922) Levy & Co. moved to corner of 23rd and Market to a building which was erected by E. S. Levy & Co.
1898, city directory C. W. Bulger has his office in Levy Building, he is architect of Levy Building. Levy, E. S. & Co, clothing, 2225-27 Market, 402-4-6-8 Tremont. Dentists in building: Aiken, Lipscomb, Nichols, Simpson. Exporters: Fordtran, Island city Export. Jewelers: Fields, Joseph; Notary: Austin, Anderson, Cash; Architects in Galveston: Bulger, C.W. office in Levy (317-18); Clayton; McKenzie; Rabitt; Patrick S office in Levy Building (319); Romagny; Stowe; Tyndall.
1899-1900, city directories Architects in Galveston: Bulger (office 317-318 Levy building); Clayton; McKenzie; Rabitt; Romagny; Stowe; Tyndall
5-31-1900, Stewart Title Incorporation papers, Book 180, p. 327, dated 5-31-00, filed 6-1-00, get copy
1900 GDN, 22 July 1922) Levy incorporates. With E. S. Levy, G. G. Levy and H. H. Levy as incorporators. W. S. Levy withdrew from the business in 1901 to attend business interests in New York.
1901-02, city directory John R. Scott, architect, has office in the building. Other architects in Galveston: Bulger, Clayton, Conlon & Koeppe, Duncan & Duncan; McKenzie; Romagny; Scott, John R (office 403-04 Levy building); Stowe; Tyndall.
1905  city directory Building called Levy Building: p. 39 ad, Miller & Vidor Lumber Co., incorporated 1890. Office 105 Levy Building
1905  city directory p. 53 ad, Borden & Borden, livestock Co., office 314 Levy Building
1905  city directory Business Directory - Agents - Fordtran, Claude G. Agent, local agent Underwood typewriters, office 313 Levy Building
1905  city directory Agent - Harrison, J. L. , superintendent, Broadstreet mercantile agency, 104 Levy building.
1905  city directory Agent - Van den Broeck, James, agent, mgr. Taylor Grain Co, 108 Levy Building
1905  city directory Architect - Charles W. Bulger & son, 404-405 Levy building, Dallas office 400-401 Flateau bldg.
1905  city directory Attorneys - Kleberg, Davidson & Neethe 414-415-416 Levy Bldg; McDonald, Dominic D. 406-407 Levy Bldg; Royston, Martin H., city recorder, 418 Levy Bldg; Wheeler & Clough 117-118 Levy Bldg.
1905  city directory Charcoal & Coal Dealers - Fordtran Bros., 313 Levy
Summary, 1905 City directory Building called Levy building: Company agents: typewriter, mercantile, grain; Architect - C. W. Bulger architect of the building; attorneys; charcoal /coal dealers; school of shorthand; consuls - Belgium and Nicaragua; dentists; insurance agents; lumber wholesalers; massage rooms; oculists; osteopaths and physicians.
1908 Galveston city directory, summary Building called Levy building. Tenants included: physicians, jeweler, dentists, international correspondence school, advertising; crude oil, U. S. Public Health and Marine Hospital service; oculist, commission merchants; safes, livestock; attorneys; U. S. Hydographic office; Consuls - Cuba; insurance, E. S. Levy on the ground floor, clothing.
1908, GDN, 15 April 1908 Levy building sold to City National Bank for $175,000. Included in the sale is the annex, adjoining the Levy building on the east and the ground upon which the two building stand. No intention of disturbing the present tenants of the Levy building. E. S. Levy & Co have an extended lease on the ground floor and will continue in business in the same location. The annex, however, it is understood, is to be extensively remodeled - ground floor now occupied by Ineeda drug store, Michaelis & Hughes, proprietors.
1908 (insurance board record); 1908 Stewart Title Lists City National Bank the owner of 2219-21 Ave. D. Stewart Title records: 4-23-08 dated, 4-23-08 filed, general warranty deed from Levy Realty Co. to City National Bank.
1908-09, city directory Vacancies 22 in building
1909 Galveston city directory, summary 2223-27 Market, now known as - City National Bank Building. Building now called City National Bank Building. Tenants: dentists, physician, Mexican consul, insurance, Hydro-Therapeutic Institute*; U. S. Public Health & Marine Hospital service; osteopaths; E. S. Levy & Co, clothing on ground floor. *Hydro-Therapeutic Institute (Inc.) Miss C. V. Mercer, superintendent, scientific massage, Turkish baths, orthopedic gymnastics, 122-125, City National Bank Building.
1912 (GDN, 22 July 1922) Levy business moves again to corner of 23rd and Postoffice. some sources indicate they moved in 1917]
1912 (22 July 1922, GDN) G. G. Levy sold out his stock in the firm, leaving H. H. Levy the only remaining original member of the company.
1913, city directory Vacancies - 4 in building
1913, city directory Green & Finger, Houston architects Louis S. Green and Joseph Finger, have office in Levy Building. Galveston buildings include:

Panama Hotel, 1913;

Model Laundry, 1913 Green & Finger;

Moody Compress and Warehouse Company, 1913-Green & Finger;

Eiband's, 1914-L. S. Green;

1816 Church, 1916-L. S. Green;

1703 Broadway, 1914-L.S. Green;

ANICO Insurance, 1913, demolished

1914, city directory Vacancies - 3 in building
1916, city directory Vacancies - 14 in building, building called E. S. Levy Building, ground floor tenants 2225-27, E. S. Levy & Co - clothing.
1916/1917, Stewart Title Lease from City National Bank to F. W. Woolworth & Co, dated 12-29-1916 filed 1-13-1917, book 292, page 472
1919, city directory Building called City National Bank Building, F. W. Woolworth in ground floor. E. S. Levy moved to 2227 Ave E.
1921, city directory Woolworth in ground floor
1923, city directory Vacancies - 5 in building
1924-25, city directory Vacancies - 12 in building, Ben Doherty & Co, Haberdashers in ground floor of building. Woolworth moved to 2117-19 Ave D.
1925, Stewart Title Lease, book 376, p. 204, 9-1-25 dated, filed 11-4-25, Ben Doherty & So to J. B. Klotz, notes space in store 2225-27 Market
1924-25, city directory through 1933 Ben C. Doherty & Co. clothing on ground floor, tenants above, building called City National Bank, 2221-23 with Doherty listed @ 2225-27 Market.
1934-35, city directory Ground floor tenant is Robertson, George W. furniture company
1936-37, city directory Ground floor tenant is Robertson-Shaw Furniture Co., tenants above
1938, city directory Ground floor tenant is Silkensen-Shaw Furniture Co., tenants above
1952 Building listed at City National bank Building, Silkensen-Shaw Furniture Co is ground floor tenant
1953, city directory Building known as National Hotel Building, ground floor is vacant
1964, GDN, 27 June 1964 Two islanders buy National Hotel Building. James C. Brady and T. R. Hencey, Jr. new owners. Purchase price $175,000.


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This page last updated on 01/04/01