 |
 |
VRA 2003 Annual Conference, April 7-13, Houston http://vraweb.org/2003conference Tour 1 Historic Galveston Leader: Anna Mod Registration Fee: $80 (boxed lunch included) Limit: 40 participants This tour will give an overview of Galveston Island with emphasis on the island's history and its historic residential and commercial architecture. Visitors will tour by bus (and minimal walking) the commercial Strand/Mechanic Landmark Historic District and the residential East End and Silk Stocking districts. Tour will begin on The Strand, named after the London street, Galveston's 19th century commercial and banking center located just a block from the port that provided the city with its great wealth that lead it to be known as the "Wall Street of the Southwest." Tour includes the panoramic documentary The Great Storm, which recreates the turning point in Galveston history: the 1900 hurricane. Experience the devastation of the deadliest natural disaster in United States history through eyewitness accounts,historic photographs, and dramatic sound and visual effects. Tour will also visit the Galveston and Texas History Center at Rosenberg Library for a behind-the-scenes look at the collection lead by Center archivists. Anna Mod is a historic preservationist consultant in Houston. She is also the former director of residential programs for Galveston Historical Foundation and gives architectural tours regularly in Galveston and Houston. In addition to her consulting work, she is also a lecturer at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston and the author of several publications.