It was a beautiful day just before Thanksgiving in 2016 when Jack Kesterson fell in love. He had never been to Galveston before.
He’d driven down from Houston to tour the Bishop’s Palace at 14th and Broadway, only to find every parking spot taken by guests attending a large wedding across the street at Sacred Heart Church. Forced to park several blocks away, he walked east along Broadway - and that’s when he saw her.
Standing quietly at 1112 Broadway, the aging Greek Revival beauty stopped him in his tracks. Weathered, elegant, and unmistakably historic, she still carried herself with dignity.
And there she stood with a For Sale sign in the yard. Jack called the realtor on the spot, and before long, the house was his.
What he didn’t yet know was that the house he’d stumbled upon had already lived several lives - surviving storms, rebuilds, and generations of Galveston families.
A House Born From the Island’s Recovery
Built in 1905, the home at 1112 Broadway - historically known as Avenue J - was constructed for Joseph Louis and May Walker Boddeker. The 1905 insurance record describes a two-story frame house with a metal roof, elevated 2½ feet on brick piers.
It originally held five rooms, three halls, one bathroom, a pantry, and six porches, all lit by electricity. A one-story servant’s house, a wood cistern, and fencing completed the property.
The home was built by Miles C. Bowden of Bowden & Worth, one of the busiest building firms on the island in the years after the 1900 Storm. Their contract with the Boddekers, signed October 25, 1905, set the construction price at $6,600, payable in three installments. A later contract in 1915 added another $1,500 in improvements.
The Boddekers were deeply rooted in Galveston. Joseph Louis Boddeker, born in 1863, was the son of Captain Joseph Boddeker, a Confederate vessel commander, and Carolyn “Carrie” Behlin.
He grew up in the original Boddeker home that was located next door at 1114 Broadway, the house that was destroyed in the 1900 Storm. After the storm, his parents moved a circa 1880 house from the corner of 12th Street and Sealy onto the same lot.
Joseph and his brother John founded the J.L. Boddeker Real Estate firm in 1902, which he operated until his retirement in 1934.
Joseph married May Walker Bell in 1884, and together they raised five children: Louis Eugene, Lawrence Lee, Edith, May Bell, and Celeste. Their family ties ran deep - Louis Eugene later married Mabel Bowden, daughter of the home’s builder, and Edith married Joseph Eiband of Eiband’s Department Store.
The Greek Revival Transformation
The home’s most defining architectural features came later. In 1908, the central hall was enlarged with a bay and new staircase, and art glass was added to the stairwell and front door. The dining room received a heavy paneled ceiling, and four closets were added.
In 1915, the roof was replaced with asbestos shingles, and the front gallery was redesigned - changes that began to give the home its Greek Revival character.
Over time, the house evolved into the elegant structure seen today: a sweeping wraparound porch, a second-story gallery, a stately pediment with art glass, and a stained-glass bay on the west side that floods the interior with color.
Joseph died in 1938, and May continued to own the home, renting it to long-term tenants. The Boddeker family held the property for 56 years, from its construction in 1905 until 1961. That year, May sold the house to longtime tenant George Emerson, who later sold it to Rose and William Cole.
The Cole Era
The Coles would become the home’s second great stewards, owning it for 55 years, from 1961 until Rose’s passing in 2016.
Rose Vassallo Cole, born in Galveston in 1914 to Sicilian parents, was a beloved figure in the community. She married William Barry Cole in 1941, and the couple spent 65 years together.
Rose worked at UTMB, was active in numerous organizations, and was known for her warmth, humor, and fierce independence. She lived in the house until her passing in 2016 at nearly 102 years old.
After her death, Mayor James Yarbrough declared February 14, 2016 - her birthday - Rose Vassallo Cole Day. With no children, her extended family chose to sell the home later that year.
A New Chapter: The Restoration
When Jack Kesterson and Nolan Roach purchased the house, they were determined to restore it with historical accuracy and respect. They dove into the archives at the Rosenberg Library, interviewed neighbors and relatives, and studied old photographs. As Jack peeled back layers of mid-century “updates,” the house began revealing its story.
Fortunately, Rose Cole had saved architectural remnants - art glass, hardware, trim - which Jack and Nolan reassembled like a puzzle. They scoured Round Top, New Orleans, and online auctions for period fixtures.
They even sourced materials from the Galveston Historical Foundation warehouse when it was located in the old 1940 Sears Building on Broadway.
Jack adopted a Swags and Urns motif inspired by the home’s original doorknobs, echoing it in fireplace tiles and woodwork. The kitchen, once dark, was transformed using salvaged windows Rose had rescued decades earlier. The vintage sink - found outside with weeds growing through it - was restored and reinstalled.
They learned to turn wood on a lathe to recreate missing porch balusters. They uncovered the landing of the original straight staircase while restoring the curved one. They discovered tin roofing from the 1905 construction hidden inside the pediment, which had been boarded over since Hurricane Carla in 1961.
Piece by piece, the house came back to life.
A Labor of Love
Jack and Nolan lived in the home during the renovation, improvising a temporary kitchen in the dining room and showering outdoors with a garden hose. Every discovery fueled their determination.
Jack’s advice to anyone taking on a restoration: “Keep digging until you find the original. Don’t overlook the details.”
After completing the restoration, they sold the home in 2022, passing it on to new stewards - their dream fulfilled.