George Sealy Mansion

• Building Forensics
• Condition Assessment
• Consulting Services
• Disaster Mitigation
• Higher Education

1889
University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas
National Register of Historic Places
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Designed by Stanford White of the New York architectural firm McKim, Mead and White, the Sealy Mansion was built in Galveston by George and Magnolia Sealy to accommodate their large family. Stanford White also designed the original interiors, with the large ballroom on the first floor closely resembling the East Room of the White House as redesigned by McKim, Mead and White in 1902.

In 1915, noted interior designer Elsie de Wolfe redesigned a number of rooms at the mansion, using her signature white furniture in several of the bedrooms. To assist in the preparation of a National Register Nomination, the Texas Historical Commission asked Candace Volz to evaluate the then largely intact interiors of the mansion to determine if they contributed to the nomination. Her evaluation of the significance of the interiors became part of the successful nomination.

We were called in to assist Johnson Consulting with the exterior condition assessment of the building following Hurricane Ike in 2008. Our evaluation covered exterior windows, doors, blinds, masonry and roof conditions immediately following the storm, in addition to other more general conditions. The report concluded with an opinion of costs for needed repairs.