Joseph Rozier Helps Rebuild Historic Galveston Landmarks after Hurricane
Buildings slated to reopen in the spring

by Tracy Ostroff
Contributing Editor

How do you . . . rebuild quickly after a devastating storm?

Summary: After Hurricane Ike caused water to surge over Galveston’s 17-foot protective sea barrier on September 13, 2008, the people of the historic downtown in Texas are finding ways to repair the buildings trounced by water and overcome by mold and other problems caused by the destructive storm. One property owner, Mitchell Historic Properties, which owns about a quarter of the buildings in The Strand National Historic Landmark District, has hired architect Joseph Rozier as a project manager to oversee all construction for MHP, including figuring out how to bring back to life the historic downtown buildings as quickly as possible, get businesses up and running and people back to work, and make visitors comfortable in the town that in so many ways was devastated by the Category 2 hurricane.

Mitchell Historic Properties has hired Galveston resident Joseph Rozier as project manager of architectural and development projects. Rozier is overseeing all construction for MHP, including its historic buildings located in downtown Galveston and hotels, which include Hotel Galvez, the Tremont House, and Harbor House.

Rozier says many of the drawings that would have helped piece together the history of the buildings were literally floating around in the flood waters. They recovered a good portion of the drawings and sent them out to be freeze-dried, Rozier explains, to preserve what they could and stop mold from further damaging them. The process took about a month.

For original and updated drawings, they relied on Rozier’s old firm, Eubanks Group Architects, based in Houston, whose office in Galveston had worked on some of the buildings, as well as architects Michael Gaertner and McIntyre + Robinowitz Architects and Ford Powell and Carson as firms that were able to send specs and drawings of buildings they had worked on 25 years ago.

First task: cleaning up
Immediately following Hurricane Ike, MHP launched a massive cleanup and restoration program in downtown Galveston. Rozier says they worked to get the water and mud out of the building and stem the growth of mold. Then they assessed what they needed to do to get the tenants back into their old spaces quickly. Rozier’s team put together a bid process so they could get a handle on the cost of the reconstruction project.

Within about five weeks, MHP had gathered enough information from the contractors, as well as their own architectural consultants and engineers, to issue drawings and a mechanical scope of work. At that time, about six or seven contractors were bidding on the work, and in cost-conscious times, coming in well under budget, Rozier says. They chose four different firms. “We didn’t want to put all our eggs in one basket,” says Rozier about the multi-faceted project.

Construction is now under way in all of its downtown buildings, including the Tremont House and Harbor House, which in total encompass about one-fourth of the developed buildings in the Strand. Construction schedules estimate that tenants, including commercial and residential, should be able to return to their shops, homes, or offices by mid- to late-March or April 2009. A key milestone, Rozier says, will be Spring Break.

Currently, most of the retail tenants in MHP buildings have indicated they will reopen, and two new tenants will open in 2009. MHP tenants Starbucks and Willie G’s Restaurant reopened in December.

Structurally sound
“Structurally, the buildings are in great shape,” Rozier says. “It’s a brick course upon a brick course, upon a brick course.” Due to flooding, all electrical and mechanical systems on the first floors in most buildings are being completely replaced, and damaged walls and floors are being reconstructed with mold-resistant wall boards. The new boards have harder surfaces, which makes them easier to clean. Where they have the ability to raise the elevator mechanical rooms, they are doing that, too. Current estimates put the cost of disaster relief, cleanup, and building renovation at more than $24 million on 24 buildings. He says the team saved about 45 percent by bidding the project out.

Galveston’s economic stimulus
Rozier has a long history of professional architecture project experience in Galveston. He also sits on the City of Galveston's Planning and Landmark commissions and serves on the Ad Hoc Committee for Disaster Response for Historic Properties, the Building Code Committee, and the '07 City Charter Review Committee. He received his BArch from the University of Houston and studied abroad at the Centre d'Etude d'Architecture et d'Urbanisme. He says knowing how the city and the permitting process works means that he was familiar with what needed to be done to get the project on track quickly. In addition to giving back to the community—the main motivation of his service—a secondary benefit is that it helps inform him about all the ins and outs of how the system works.

Rozier is also heartened by the fact that the developers and others like MHP “are still on the island during this historic recession,” helping to bring normalcy back to the social and economic life of the community. An estimated 350 workers, including architects, mechanical, electrical, and structural engineers; environmentalists; and subcontractors are involved in the MHP reconstruction project, alone.

The benefactors of the MHP’s reconstruction are Cynthia and George Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell was born and raised on the island. They purchased the T. Jefferson League Building in 1976, the first of more than 20 buildings purchased or built by the Mitchells in what had become an abandoned and blighted downtown waterfront. Today, thanks to their efforts and those of the Galveston Historical Foundation, Galveston’s downtown is recognized as a National Historic Landmark District by the National Park Service. They are still optimistic about their hometown, and Mr. Mitchell visits weekly to monitor the progress of his properties.

“We are confident in the future of Galveston,” they have noted in press releases and articles about the project. “And though this is a painful setback, we feel a vibrant downtown is the key to a successful city-wide recovery,” says Mitchell. “So we are determined to do our part and hope—through our resolve—to inspire others. In the near future, all our efforts will be rewarded.”