The Strand

The Strand Historic District, a five-block area in downtown Galveston, features Victorian-ear buildings that now house a number of restaurants and bars, antique, gift and curio shops, and boutiques. The area is a major shopping and entertainment center (and tourist attraction) for the island city and plays hosts to two major festivals each year - Mardi Gras and Dickens on The Strand - and many other popular outdoor community events.

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The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976 for its unparalleled collection of commercial Victorian architecture in Texas, and for its role as the state's major port in the 19th century.

The Strand's earliest buildings were made of wood and vulnerable to fires and storms that hit the island frequently throughout the 19th century. Eventually, those structures were replaced with iron-fronted brick buildings. The two oldest buildings still standing on The Strand date to 1855 and 1858; other historic buildings date back typically to the 1870s and 1880s.

Throughout the 19th century, the port city of Galveston boomed; and The Strand grew into the region's main business center. For a time, it was known as the "Wall Street of the South."

How The Strand Got Its Name
The original plat of Galveston,drawn in the late 1830s, includes Avenue B. The first use of the name “Strand” for Ave. B is credited to Michael William Shaw, a German immigrant, who owned a jewelry store on the corner of 23rd and Ave B. Shaw did not like the "Ave. B", so he changed the name of the street on his stationery to "Strand", the name of a street in London. He thought it had higher-class connotations for his jewelry store. He later convinced other store owners on the street to change their addresses, as well. And, the name stuck.

The word, strand, comes from the Old English word for “shore” or “river bank.” In German, Swedish and Dutch, the word means “beach.”