The Reymershoffer family of Galveston created a legacy of success and wealth that was evident in the beauty and grandeur of their homes, John Reymershoffer, Jr., (1842-1899) and his brother, Gustav (1847-1903) founded the Texas Star Flour Mills, engaged in international trade, and served as aldermen for the City of Galveston. They both contstructed their homes on Postoffice Street on property that their father, John Reymershoffer, Sr. (1808-1876) purchased in the 1860s.
John Jr., who also served as consul of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Texas, and his wife, Beda (1851-1930) spent $30,000 to construct the residence at 1314 Postoffice in 1871. THe extraordinary domicile reflected his status in society, which was enhanced by his prositions as consul of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Texas, and president of the Galveston West Indies & Pan American Company.
Comprised of 18 rooms, the residence included areas to entertain guests, bedrooms, a kitchen with marble countertops, pantry and rooms for the servants. Hardwood floors ran throughout the residence, with the exception of the two bathrooms and the kitchen, whoch featured the flooring.
Striking curly pine trim and paneling with a hard oil finish adorned the walls of the public rooms. A large attic provided storage space over the entire upper floor.
A glass conservatory and two balconies provided space for the Reymershoffers to enjoy the island sunshine and refreshing breezes from the Gulf.
Both gas and electricity provided power for the home, and two brick cisterns at the back of the property proficed water. A full laundry facility was locted in the basement, and hot water was availalbe throughout the house.
The most distinctive exterior feature of the home, and one that is easily identifiable in area photos of the time period , was a two story cupola decoreaed with a wrought iron widow's walk. It had two rooms of its own that looked out over the island in every direction, and boasted custom wooden blinds on the interior of the windows to block the intense summer sun.
The residence provided plenty of room for their large family, which included children, John III, Charles Gustave, Anita Johanna, Max Fredrich, and Thea -- all of whom were born while the family lived in the home. They regularly hosted social acivites involving numerous members of the community.
In 1887, Gustav vuilt his own grand home alongside his brother's home at 1302 Postoffice.
One of their neighbors was Charles Steding, who lived at 1301 Postoffice. In December 1896, he and his brother, Henry, having formed the Steding Brothers, purchased a flower, seed, and nursery business owned by the Reymershoffer brothers' mother, Clara, to form their own floral business, which was operated from their home.
They expanded the matriarch's business to include florists, a greenhouse, and a storefront on their property. This home is no longer standing. The enterprise is a wonderful example of how neighbors' lives intermingled with their businesses.
In 1899, Beda and daughers Anita and THea went on a trip abroad, and John Jr. traveled to New York CIty to meet them upon their return. As the 57-year-old and his wife were strolling along Broadway on December 12, he suffered a stroke and collapsed on the sidewlk. He died almost immediately.
On December 19, his body arrived in Galveston aboard a train of the international and Great Northern railway, accompanied by his grieving widow and two daughters. Relatives and employees of the Texas Star Flour mills met the train at the station and formed a guard of honor to escort the body to the Levy Brothers undertaking parlor. From there, the body of the prominent businessman was taken back to his impressive home, where a funeral was held in the front parlor.
The 1900 Storm the following year caused repairable damage to the large residence, which was soon repaired, but the family suffered a much more devastating loss. Clara Reymershoffer, John Jr.'s mother, was killed in the tragic hurricane, and her body was not found until late October.
After her husband's death, Beda took an active role in managing his businesses. She remained in her home on Postoffice with her son, John, and daughter, Thea, until 1922, when she listed it for sale for $12,000 as "an ideal tenant property."
The new owner, an Italian-born widow named Sarah Glaviana (1866-1959), never lived in the home, but rented it out as apartments. During her ownership, the Reymershoffer home was re-imagined into four apartments on the first floor, five on the second, four on the third, and an additional five in the basement.
In the 1920s, the apartments were filled as the home became the Phi Chi medical fraternity house, which made the news in 1925 due to the destruction of a shed on the property by fire.
Glaviana sold the home to William Judson March in 1943 for $7,000. He and his wife, Martha Nevada Nation lived there and rented spare rooms to boarders.
Two years after William's death, his widow sold it to Clinton Lynn, Sr. (1927-2007), a salesman at the Galveston Ice and Cold Storage. Arthur C. Benson purchased the property in May 1958 and immediately sold much of the original wood flooring and paneling from the home.
In the following years, the once elegant residence housed a series of boarders and commercial enterprises including a beauty salon, until Felix Baker of Houston purchased the building for $25,000 in July 1966. The home was demolished to make room for the construction of five small rental properties.
Though John's home no longer stands, his brother Gustav's house at 1302 Postoffice still stands and so does a landmark building where he and his brother worked, the J. Reymershoffer's Sons Commission House building at 2202 Mechanic, remains. Their father originally constructed it in 1876 for a glass and porcelain import business.
Though Hurrican Carla took the third floor in 1961, the bottom two floors remain and now serve as a retail space for Nautical Antiques and Tropical Decor. When you cross it's threshhold, you are walking in the steps of two generations of Reymershoffers.