{"nrhp_refnum":"76002031","name":"Menard, Michel B., House","other_names":["Oaks,The"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1605 33rd St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Galveston","county":"Galveston County","state":"TX","lat":29.291094369000064,"lon":-94.80178742699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-12-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Politics/Government","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Greek Revival frame residence known as The Oaks at 1605 33rd Street in Galveston, Texas, built in 1838-39 and probably constructed by Augustus Allen.","why_significant":"The house is associated with Michel Brindamour Menard, considered the founder of Galveston and a leader in early Texas. Architecturally it is an outstanding example of Greek Revival style and one of Galveston's earliest surviving structures. Its two-story Ionic columns on the main facade and the wings are unique among early extant houses in the city.","narrative":"Set on a large, shaded lot at 1605 33rd Street in Galveston, this frame house is a two-story Greek Revival residence with a central pavilion of four full-height Roman Ionic wooden columns and matching one- and two-story wings. Research in 1967 indicates it was probably built in 1838-39 by Augustus Allen, a founder of Houston. It is linked to Michel Brindamour Menard, born near Montreal in 1805, who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and helped organize the Galveston City Company, which led to his recognition as Galveston's founder. Menard probably made substantial changes after his wife purchased the property in 1843, and the Ketchum family acquired it in 1885. The house is one of very few pre-Civil War residences remaining in Galveston, and its Ionic columns on both the main facade and the wings are unique among early surviving houses in the city. Its large yard contrasts with the long, narrow lots typical of Galveston.","period_of_significance":"1838-1839","architect_builder":"Augustus Allen (probable builder)","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied as a private residence; condition listed as altered (minor) and on its original site.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.541139-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/40/9720/40972040/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/76002031.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76002031/2d1cae8458-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76002031/2d1cae8458-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jim Evans","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Home_of_Michael_Branamour_Menard,_Galveston.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim Evans</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Home_of_Michael_Branamour_Menard,_Galveston.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972040","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_B._Menard_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20714525"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/galveston-county/menard-michel-b-house-76002031/"}