Galveston Historic Overnights: The Prussian Socialite's House
Built in 1896 by Louis Marx.
With Heidenheimer Castle on one end of the block and Trube Castle on the other end, this section of Sealy Avenue was known for its unusual masterworks by Galveston's leading 19th century architects. It comes as no surprise, then, that the original owners of this property were two prominent businessmen in Galveston at the turn of the century.
Some of the research below was sourced from the 1997 Historic Home Tours Catalog produced by the Galveston Historical Foundation.
About the Original Owners
Louis Marx, the son of Prussian immigrants, came from a prominent mercantile family. His older brother Marks (yes, you read that right: his name was Marks Marx) was senior partner in Marx & Kempner, one of Galveston's leading wholesale firms. The company was formed in 1871 dealing in wholesale groceries, as well as foreign and domestic liquors. By 1877, Marx & Kempner had also purchased and renovated the original Tremont Hotel. Louis Marx was frequently employed by his family's business. An 1886 Galveston City Directory lists Louis Marx' tobacco and cigar shop located inside the Tremont Hotel. Eventually, he settled into a position as a commission broker for his brother's company.
In 1896, Louis Marx and his wife Rachael contracted J.H. Jordan to build their new home on a lot on one of the most distinctive blocks in Galveston's East End.
High Society in Galveston
A testament to the Marx family's status in the late 19th century is this wedding announcement in 1878 (see right). In another article published on April 13, 1875, the festivities around a celebration of the Order of Heptasophs (a southern fraternal organization established in New Orleans in 1852) included a description of Mr. Louis Marx "mounted on a splendid horse" as the Grand Marshal of the parade.
Later Owners
In 1905, Louis Marx sold the house on Sealy Avenue to Abe Blum and moved to Houston where he worked as a traveling salesman for R.M. Chapman and Company. Abe Blum was the nephew of Leon Blum, the 19th century "Merchant Prince of Texas," and was married to one of Marks Marx' three daughters. After Blum sold the house in 1913, it changed hands a number of times throughout the 20th century.
Unfortunately, this affluent block of Sealy Avenue lost some of its shine in the decades that followed World War II. Elderly homeowners, the heirs of once prominent Galveston families, often did not have the means to care for these grand homes built by their forebears at a time when Galveston was still one of the wealthiest cities in America. As a result, many of the homes were divided into apartments and boarding houses, or were altogether demolished. Such was the sad fate of the grandest of homes on Sealy Avenue, Heidenheimer Castle...
Down the Block: Heidenheimer Castle
Built in 1857 by John Sydnor (1812–1869), former mayor of Galveston and a notorious businessman whose ventures included operating the largest slave auction west of New Orleans, the original two story, eight-room structure was rumored to have secret tunnels through which enslaved people were transported to the house for auction.
The home remained the same until it was sold to German-born Samson Heidenheimer, who built a fortune as a Confederate cotton smuggler during the Civil War. Over the years, Heidenheimer added two stories, 29 rooms, a tower and turrets, 27 fireplaces with marble mantles, a conservatory, and a moss-covered ruins-style garden. It's no wonder the home's legacy is associated most closely with Heidenheimer whose enlargements truly earned the property its "castle" nickname.
After Heidenheimer's passing, the family converted the home into a boarding house, and subsequent owners used the property as a home for the elderly, again as a boarding house, and then as apartments. While several attempts were made by various owners to restore the home, the persistent obstacles seemed to indicate the castle's fate was already sealed. It was mostly destroyed by fire in 1973 and torn down in 1975. Today, all traces of Heidenheimer's Castle are gone, but a historical marker can be found on the site where the structure once stood.
