Silk Stocking Residential Historic District

Southwest of Galveston's central business district, this residential district covers four complete blocks and portions of twelve others between the beach and Broadway. Single-family frame houses on narrow lots dominate, with Greek Revival cottages in the northern and eastern parts and Queen Anne residences along the 1300-1600 blocks of 24th and 25th streets. Bungalows and period revival houses fill in the early 20th century development. Many houses sit on raised foundations, a response to repeated flooding, and feature porches and projecting bays to catch Gulf breezes. Land that once held the Texas Cotton Press Company was replatted and sold as lots in 1898, and the area was built up after the 1900 storm and the 1904 grade raising. Rosenberg Avenue, with its planted center esplanade, forms the main thoroughfare. The nomination counts 204 contributing resources and 86 noncontributing ones, and notes that the stagnation of Galveston's economy helped preserve much of its 19th and early 20th century building stock.