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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2009
CONTACT: Molly Dannenmaier
Director of Marketing and Public Relations,
409-765-7834
Special New Neighborhood/Downtown Tours — by Coach, Bike and Foot — Highlight this Year’s Galveston Historic Homes Tour Programming
The 2009 Galveston Historic Homes Tour has added a wide array of special new themed tours to its programming this year in the wake if Hurricane Ike.
From luxury coach tours that span the length and breadth of Galveston’s storm-permeated geographic and architectural history to leisurely bike and walking tours of Galveston’s many historic neighborhoods, these new tours offer something for everyone. While the regular Galveston Historic Homes Tour allows visitors to look inside some of Galveston’s most beautifully restored private homes, the special tours offer a broader and deeper overview of Galveston’s history with highly knowledgeable expert guides.
GHF Executive Director Dwayne Jones will lead a luxury coach tour titled The Architecture and History of Historic Galveston Island during the 35th Annual Galveston Historic Homes Tour the first two weekends in May.
Galveston Island Tours, an affiliate of Galveston Historical Foundation, will offer A Stormy Past and Sunny Future Coach Tour, providing an overview of Galveston’s extraordinary resilience in the face of natural disasters from past to present. Visitors can see first-hand and on site the effects of the Island’s tempestuous climate, and the often heroic responses the city has made, from the Great Storm of 1900 to the 1915 Storm, Hurricane Carla and Hurricane Ike. Conducted by a professional guide, the coach tour provides an in-depth look at major sites affected by hurricanes on the island, the challenges as well as the beauties of the island’s natural setting, comprehensive storm-surge statistics, comparisons of Hurricane Ike to previous storms, a detailed overview of the effects on historic structures, beaches, shifts in population, and updates on the island’s remarkable recovery process. Tickets are $40 per person and include a Homes Tour ticket. Tours last 1 and ½ hour and are available at 2 p.m. on May 2, 3, 9 and 10.
Dwayne Jones, Executive Director of GHF, will lead the The Architecture and History of Historic Galveston Island tour. This informative luxury coach tour of Galveston Island’s historic neighborhoods will focus on how the island's buildings respond to the natural environment of the barrier island from the 19th century to the present. He will discuss the major residential development patterns present in Galveston reflecting more than a century of progressive ideas and design adaptation. In addition he will discuss Hurricane Ike and its impact on the island as well as future mitigation efforts to protect historic buildings. A special note on GHF's unique "small house program" will show the organization's long interest in saving endangered properties using the revolving fund developed in the 1970s. Tickets are $50 per person and include a Homes Tour ticket. Tours last 2 and ½ hours are available at 9:30 a.m. on May 2 and 9. Morning refreshments are included.
A Strand National Historic Landmark District walking tour will be offered at 10 a.m. on May 2. Led by historic preservationist, Anna Mod, this informative tour will discuss the area’s 20th-century architectural styles and the people responsible for this grand district. Tickets are $5 per person.
Longtime GHF volunteer and Island Historian, Margaret Doran, will lead an East End Historic District Walking Tour on Sunday, May 10, at 10 a.m. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark, the East End reflects a variety of styles and periods representing the economic and social cross-section of the island in the 19th century. Tickets are $5 per person.
On May 3 at 10 a.m. visitors are encouraged to bring their bicycles and join GHF’s Preservation Services Project Coordinator Matt Farragher on A Biking Tour of GHF’s Preservation History. This fun and leisurely trip throughout Galveston’s historic neighborhoods will highlight the more than 50 years of GHF’s preservation efforts and will showcase examples of the foundation’s projects including properties saved through its Revolving Fund, Paint Pals and the Community Housing Development Organization initiative. Tickets are $5 per person and require a signed waiver.
Reservations are required for all tours.
Advance tickets for Homes Tour and the walking, biking, architectural and storm recovery tours are now available on the Galveston Historical Foundation website www.galvestonhistory.org or by calling 1-877-77CLICK. For more information on ticket sales or this year’s tour call 409 765 7834.
For press-ready downloadable photographs and additional information about the homes on tour, go to http://www.galvestonhistory.org/ec-hht2009-pr.asp
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