{"nrhp_refnum":"78002929","name":"Beissner, Henry, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2818 Ball Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Galveston","county":"Galveston County","state":"TX","lat":29.30051522100007,"lon":-94.79907053699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-04-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame raised cottage at 2818 Ball Avenue (Avenue H) in Galveston, Texas, built in 1890-1891 by cypress lumber dealer Henry Beissner as his office and residence.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house shows the high level of wood carving and carpentry reached in Galveston in the late 19th century. It draws freely on Eastlake, Queen Anne and Stick styles and handles materials superbly for a medium-sized dwelling. It is also a representative example of fine residences in an area of Galveston that has received little recognition.","narrative":"Built in 1890-1891 at 2818 Ball Avenue in Galveston, this frame house was the office and home of Henry Beissner, a German-born cypress lumber dealer who had earlier worked as a grocer. It is a raised cottage set ten feet up on brick piers faced with scored plaster to resemble dressed stone, with a second story tucked into a multi-gabled roof. Its irregular massing, turned posts, spindle frieze, fish-scale shingles and patterned siding blend Eastlake, Queen Anne and Stick influences, and most of the original cypress siding and trim survives. Inside, a central hall is flanked by double parlors with high ceilings, plaster moldings and pocket doors. After Beissner, the house served as a synagogue from 1914 to 1923 and later as rental property. Locally called \"Noah's Ark\" for its reported use as a refuge in the 1900 storm, it was recognized as an outstanding example of wood craftsmanship in a neighborhood of medium to large homes.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Queen Anne, Stick and Eastlake influences; raised cottage","criteria":[],"status_note":"Marked unoccupied in the form; it was sold to new private owners who plan extensive restoration. Known locally as \"Noah's Ark\", and its original cypress siding and trim are almost completely intact.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.626898-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/2/9720/40972002/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/78002929.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002929/0fd6a8faf0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002929/0fd6a8faf0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jim Evans","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_Beissner_House.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:Henry_Beissner_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972002","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Beissner_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110000987"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/galveston-county/beissner-henry-house-78002929/"}