Wooden Structures in the Downtown Business District | Fire Limits

Wooden structures such as this are scarce around the downtown area as most buildings in the downtown business district were required to be fortified against fire throughout the 1800s. While most of Galveston’s downtown district buildings are made of brick and cast iron, very few remain that remind us of an old west town. When Galveston was founded in 1839, many buildings and homes would’ve been crude one or two-room structures. Almost all of them would’ve been made from imported wood, as Galveston was barren at the time. As Galveston’s economy boomed through the mid-1800s, structures such as this would’ve been a typical sight until fire prevention in the city became a priority. Fires became a real problem in the central business district as they could decimate multiple blocks and severely impact the economy. In 1855 city and business leaders decided that only fireproof buildings would be built in the central business district between 25th St. and 19th St. and from the Port to Avenue C, or mechanic Street. These were the initial fire limits for fireproof buildings. This meant that wood and other flammable materials could not be used when building commercial structures in the downtown area. Some buildings were grandfathered in, and others had to update their buildings in order to meet the code. Brick, steel, and iron were the new common materials used to build in the downtown and Port area. Galveston Fire limits expanded every few years until 1932. This may explain, in part, why Galveston no longer resembles an old wild west town in the downtown area. However, keep an eye out; there are a few wooden buildings remaining.

Interested in information covered in this episode? Reference links below:
Great Fire of 1885
Galveston Burning | James Anderson
Fire insurance maps showing fire limits of downtown Galveston
Drawing of 1885 fire destruction

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