Illies Building-Justine Apartments
Why it's listed
Built in 1929 at 503 21st Street, this five-story L-shaped building in downtown Galveston combined retail shops on the ground floor with 20 apartments above. Architect Donald Neil McKenzie, born in Galveston, designed it with his half-brother, real estate investor C.J.H. Illies, and named it for their late mother, Justine. It replaced an 1867 wooden building that was among the oldest commercial structures on the island. Buff brick and cast stone detailing give it a commercial version of Renaissance Revival style. Inside, the lobby has a terrazzo floor, tile wainscot and an original Otis elevator. Early advertisements promoted efficiency apartments with modern conveniences far above local rental standards. Finished just before the Depression, it was the last multi-family building in the central business district for several decades. It remains one of few multi-story apartment buildings from the 1920s downtown, with its original room layouts largely intact, and it was recognized for its architecture at the local level.
Significance in brief: It is one of the few surviving pre-Depression multi-story residential buildings in Galveston and one of the few 1920s buildings in the downtown. It represents architectural trends of the 1920s in the central business district. It is eligible locally under Criterion C in the area of Architecture.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 95001028, listed August 22, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 503 21st St., Galveston |
|---|---|
| County | Galveston County |
| Listed | August 22, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95001028 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1929-1945 |
| Architect / builder | Donald Neil McKenzie |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Italian Renaissance (Renaissance Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a multi-family dwelling with ground-floor commercial space; it was being rehabilitated to continue its housing function, with relatively few exterior alterations. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 29.29731, -94.78254 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 95001028.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002053
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.