Historic Heffron House Home to Galveston History, Now For Sale

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The Isaac Heffron House, a two-story Victorian in the East End Historic District of Galveston, has seen a lot since it was built in 1890 — thanks in part to the occupants who called it home over the years.

Isaac Heffron immigrated to the U.S. from Wales and settled in Galveston in 1860. He worked on the docks, making his way eventually to a career in construction, winning bids with the city of Galveston for a railroad and trestle bridge that connected the city to LaPorte.

galvestonWhen a public health crisis stemming from poor waste management hit Galveston, Heffron founded the Galveston Sewage Company and contracted with the city to build Galveston’s first sewage system.

By then, he and his wife, Clothilde, had lived in their home at 1509 Post Office Street for a few years. Originally, they moved into an existing one-story home, but in 1890, they demolished it and built the two-story, four-bay Victorian with turned columns.

The tall two-over-two windows in the first story allowed the porch to be used as living space, and the rear porch was built to capture the ocean breezes coming from the Gulf of Mexico.

“Compared to other noted architectural examples of the period in Galveston’s East End district, the house has more restrained details,” said listing agent Tom Schwenk of Tom’s Galveston Real Estate.

galvestonAfter Heffron built a new, more prestigious home in Galveston, he rented the home for a time before giving it to his daughter and son-in-law, who eventually sold it to Thomas J. Holbrook, who would eventually represent the area as a state senator, and later would be instrumental in getting the causeway connecting Galveston to the mainland built in 1930.

After Holbrook, several owners followed. In 1990, new owners undertook a substantial rehab, making use of materials from a nearby demolished historic Victorian of the same age. The home is now a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.

Nowadays, the home has been well maintained, and any updates have been with an eye to maintaining the history of the home. Schwenk said the kitchen has been updated, too.

“There are three outdoor areas and an easy access garage make for great entertaining space,” he added.

The bookcases in the library, he added, are built of pirana pine, “a very rare pine tree found in the southern part of Brazil and considered a critically endangered species.”

And to allay any fears over potential damage after Hurricane Harvey, Schwenk said the home did have water damage during Hurricane Ike, but none from Hurricane Harvey.

“The sellers, after putting house on market, had an inspection done and followed Inspectors recommendations on repairs,” he said, adding that the home also comes with a transferrable termite and home warranty.

The home is listed for $489,000, has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and 2,760 square feet of living space.

Bethany Erickson

Bethany Erickson