Savior of island mansion accepts challenge to preserve its history
In the heart of Galveston stands the League-Kempner House, one of the few remaining "Broadway Beauties" that was once at risk for demolition. Unlike others that have disappeared from the island's architectural landscape, however, the League-Kempner House found... Read More

Broadway Beauty Restoration
Commanding the one-acre corner lot at 1702 Broadway, the 1893 League Kempner Home is the last grand home designed by Nicholas Clayton for the Broadway Castle District. The pre-eminent architect conceived the design for John Charles League and his wife Nellie Ball a power couple who... Read More

Families of the League Kempner House
A grand home with familial connections to some of the most prominent early families in Galveston stands on the corner of 17th Street and Broadway, its halls filled with memories of those who have lived there through the years. The house was designed by Irish architect Nicholas... Read More

HIDDEN GEM: League-Kempner House
Designed in 1892 and built the next year, the League-Kempner House in Galveston is a rarity.

"This is one of only five what they call Broadway Beauties left," Janie Mitcham shared. "All the other grand homes have been torn down to make way for ... Read More

Broadway Beauty Restoration

Commanding the one-acre corner lot at 1702 Broadway, the 1893 League Kempner Home is the last grand home designed by Nicholas Clayton for the Broadway Castle District. The pre-eminent architect conceived the design for John Charles League and his wife Nellie Ball, a power couple who represented ... Read More

One of Galveston's most iconic mansions is being restored: Peek inside the J.C. League Kempner home

Janie Mitcham worried about an open window at Galveston's historic J. C. League Kempner House. She would see the open window of the three-story home two blocks away at the Lucas Apartment Building that she purchased in 2013. "Rains, storms, hurricanes, it didn't matter," Mitcham said. "It was always open and I... Read More

The Old House Love Affairs of Janie Mitcham

Growing up in Houston in the 1960s meant hot summers with little to no air conditioning. During the summer weekends, Mom and Dad would pack up the kids, and head south to the beach in Galveston via the Gulf Freeway. Riding in the back seat of the station wagon, Houstonian Janie Mitcham, her big brother and little sister knew...Read More

The League-Kempner Mansion in Galveston is endangered without its determined new savior

One of the most intriguing houses in Texas is, until recently, one of the most endangered.  The last of Galveston’s privately owned Gilded Age homes, the League-Kempner Mansion is in danger of loss without...Read More