Galveston's first Tremont House was built by McKinney and Williams in 1839 at the southwest corner of Postoffice and Tremont Streets, opening with a grand ball on April 19 honoring the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. The two-story hotel became the setting for major public moments, including General Sam Houston's last public address on April 19, 1861, when he warned of the horrors of civil war, and Texas Governor Francis R. Lubbock's speech a year later urging Galveston be laid waste except for fortifications. On June 21, 1865, while occupied by Confederate soldiers, the building was destroyed by fire. In 1871 the Galveston Hotel Company began plans for a second Tremont House on a half block bounded by Tremont, Church, and 24th Street, with Nicholas J. Clayton supervising construction for Jones and Baldwin; after funding ran short, Burnett and Kilpatrick continued the work with changes, architect Fred S. Stewart joined Clayton, and the hotel opened in February 1872 as a massive five-story structure with a cast-iron Corinthian first floor, stuccoed upper floors, and a mansard-roofed tower. The second Tremont House became famous for its observatory, its prominence in the cityscape, and its celebrated guests, including Presidents Rutherford Hayes, Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, James Garfield, and Chester Arthur, as well as Buffalo Bill Cody, Anna Pavlova, and Stephen Crane; during the 1900 storm, hundreds took refuge there, and Clara Barton stayed there after coming to aid Galveston. The second hotel closed on November 1, 1928, demolition began on December 11, 1928, and the present Tremont House opened on February 16, 1985, with a gala Mardi Gras celebration.
