Watermarks on an antique mirror in the ladies salon tell us a little bit about the age and history of the historic pink house.
It was installed in an Italianate-style mansion at 523 10th Street in Galveston when the house was built in 1874 – and has remained in the same location for nearly 150 years.
Some of the silver backing has eroded in some areas, but its broad streaks represent the home’s floodwater level from the Great Storm of 1900, which destroyed most of the island’s homes and buildings, as well as Hurricane Ike in 2008.
Marie-Louise Stonecifer and Jordan Vaughn, the mother-daughter team who own Alayna Louise Interiors, have worked in this home for six years. It will be unveiled to the public in May for the 2022 Galveston Historic Homes Tour.
Much of the work inside the house has been completed, but there will be more to come, including the addition of curtains and furnishings, before the official opening in October as a luxury boutique hotel, the 1874 Guest House.
This large pink home with green shutters will be one of seven historic homes on the May 7-8 and May 14-15 tour. In addition, two homes under construction will open in the first weekend, while two more homes, both new construction, will open in the second weekend.
2022 Galveston Historic Homes Tour
when: 10am to 6pm May 7-8 and May 14-15
Tourist homes: 1874 Robert and Ellen Hughes House (523 10th Street); 1897 August J. Henk Cottage (1412 Sealy); 1894 Adolf & August Hillman Cottage (1314 24th Street); 1896 Oscar and Mary Walker House (1318 24th Street); 1906 Romanet Glen House (2605 Broadway); 1922 Stubbs-Garrigan Bungalow (3727 Avenue P); 1931 Dr. Albert and Willie Dean Singleton House (1602 Broadway). Two more homes will open May 7-8 only, the 1866 house at 1414 L Avenue, rehab in progress, new construction 2020 Magruder Cottage at 1410 26th Street May 14-15, 1927 house at 31 Cedar Lawn Circle and 2022 New construction at 2925 Ursuline.
special events: History of the Tap Dinner at 1838 Maynard House, May 6; Strand Walking Tours, May 7; New Construction Highlights Happy Hour, May 7; Champagne Mother’s Day Brunch at Garten Verein, May 8; History of Tap Dinner in 1874 Robert and Ellen Hughes House; Strand Walking Tours, May 14; Happy Hour for the Revival of Spanish Colonialism May 14th
the tickets: $30 for GHF members; $35 for non-members
Noticeable: GHF requires trekkers to wear soft-soled shoes to minimize damage to floors. Pets are not allowed.
Homes on this year’s tour are scattered throughout the historic districts and include Victorian and Queen Anne cottages, a Southern cottage, a two-story Colonial Revival house, and even a Monterey Revival home designed by Houston architect Cameron Fairchild and owned by the famous surgeon . Dr. Albert Singleton.
Stonecypher grew up in the Houston area but has lived in Tennessee for over 30 years. Her two children live in Houston, so she visits often, and on one visit, she saw the dilapidated house on 10th Street in Galveston, hiding behind palm trees and other foliage, and fell in love.
She knew it was going to be a big project, but she didn’t expect it to take six years to finish. The first year was spent planning, designing and permitting, including raising the house another 7 feet above the ground. (He was already 3 feet off the ground.)
Behind its antique iron fence, there is an event-ready artificial turf lawn on one side and a stone patio and gardens on the other.
The main building will contain sitting rooms for men and women, a luxury kitchen and a dining room on the main floor. Four guest suites will occupy the second floor. New building located behind the boutique hotel with one suite on the second floor.
The Galveston Historical Foundation has held its annual tour for years, showing the historic residents’ efforts to preserve homes from different decades.
In 1874, Robert and Elaine Hughes built the house that Stonecifer and Vaughn now convert into an inn. At one point, Hughes owned the largest fire and marine insurance company in Texas.
The Hughes family lived in the house with their two children for some time, and that was in the hands of others as well, including the nonprofit Jesse Tree. Before he bought Stonecypher, the house was divided into apartments, so some early work was devoted to demolishing unnecessary walls. They rewired the house, reinstalled it, and added an elevator to make it even more accessible.
While much of the work has been completed, including painting, wallpapering and lighting, it is not yet fully furnished. The floors have not been refinished, Stonecypher said, and the furniture will not be brought in until it is.
They kept only two of the original fireplace mantels, mostly because they weren’t very presentable—the designers wanted the building to have upscale marble and stone.
The ladies’ lounge is decorated in light and bright colors with aqua floral wallpaper, exquisite chandeliers and antiques. Behind it is the men’s lounge painted by Farrow & Ball’s Deep Hague Blue, with a coffered ceiling lined with antique Italian medallions.
Gorgeous Italian Plutonian marble with dramatic veining covers the kitchen island and back wall, and an antique train station clock is a masterpiece above all else.
Upstairs, each bedroom suite has its own bathroom, wallpapered or painted and adorned with beautiful tiles, marble sinks and great lighting.
One bedroom is covered in a “Madame de Pompadour” Schumacher wallpaper designed by Miles Redd. Norwegian Rose marble in the bathroom perfectly complements the floral theme.
The second set is more dramatic, featuring Philip Jeffreys “Serenity” in shades of dark blue on a linen background. The room probably contains the oldest antique piece of furniture in the house, a 17th century French wardrobe. A beautiful chandelier was obtained from Italy, and the windows open onto a small balcony.
The third suite is full of neutrals and shades of taupe and cream throughout, including Quadrille’s “Climbing Hydrangea” wallpaper. Because the wood floor was damaged by earlier linoleum being used, they filled in the nail holes and hired artists from Pruitt Littleton to paint the floors. This suite has a double-sided fireplace with original covers, one side of which opens onto the bathroom.
The final master building suite is loaded with color, from yellow painted wallpaper in the bedroom, to “Wisteria” wallpaper by Cole & Sons against an emerald green backdrop in the side room. The bathroom has a softer blue and white pattern, and all the colors are drawn from a shimmering chandelier that includes blue, yellow and green crystal drops.
A new carriage house aft serves as the inn’s fifth wing, with an Asian design that includes Coordonne’s “Sunrise Flight” wallpaper with storks waving among aquatic plants bearing lotus blossoms. Ornament that begins at the top of the wall extends across the ceiling, and the kitchenette is housed in built-in cabinets made to resemble pagodas and painted peacock blue.