Galveston Real Estate Blog

Bounded by 16^th and 21^st Streets on the east and west, and Avenues K and M½ on the north and south, the Lost Bayou Historic District is a newly gentrifying area, attracting entrepreneurs, historic renovators, reclamation specialists, and beach-combers with a wink and a nod that says, “Here we are – an undiscovered pocket of storm survivor Victoriana within walking distance of the beach on one side, and biking distance to the Strand on the other.” Join us!

A subset of the larger San Jacinto neighborhood, the area was developed originally as a working class community, with a smattering of grand houses and country estates. What remains in Lost Bayou is an extraordinary sampling of homes not lost at all — Greek Revival, Italianate, Arts & Crafts, and Folk Victorian architecture – preserved from the late 1800s and early 20^th Century, peppered with scintillating tales.  

Perhaps the largest of the properties began with far tinier intent. When eight Galveston women founded the Society for the Help of Homeless Children in 1894, their mission was to establish a day nursery and “temporary home for homeless white children” who needed shelter from sick, negligent, or abusive parents. Just six years later, the 1900 hurricane took the building and many of the children. Within a year, with civic assistance, the Society was able to pay $5,000 for property at 16^th Street and Avenue K, but was unable to expand and renovate until 1912 when Morris Lasker gave the home $15,000.  

The Lasker Home for Homeless Children rescued as many as 25 children at a time for 83 years in the 16^th Street building, aided by women in Galveston church and synagogue societies: Members of the Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society subsidized indigent Jewish children, Baptist women sent sandwiches, Methodist women sent clothing, and Episcopal women sent treats. When it merged with the Galveston Children’s Home and other facilities in Galveston to become the Children’s Center, Inc. in 1984, the building was put on the market. Today, the property is a renovated 6-bedroom mansion, winner of the 2006 Galveston Historical Society Preservation Award, and is listed for sale at $1.349 million. 

There are 16 other homes for sale in this eclectic district, too. From a small beach cottage near the Seawall at under $100,000 to a 6-bedroom Victorian B&B for $700,000+, home prices in the area average $334,000. In fact, average sales prices have increased 210% since 2002, making “Lost Bayou” an investment “Found.” Truly a hidden pearl. 

For more information, visit http://www.sanjacneighborhoodassoc.org/ or http://www.galvestonhistory.org/