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"Galvez Mall has been here for 18 years and we plan to be here for another 18 plus" Galvez Mall opened in 1968, fixing the year of this message in 1986 (1968+18=1986). Unfortunately, the "plan to be here for another 18 plus" (1986+18=2004) did not come to pass. The Galvez Mall declined steadily during the 1990s and was eventually demolished in 2000.

A look at the photos (posted January  2019) depicting exterior views of the mall circa October 1996 show significant grass and weed overgrowth near the mall's entrances.

 According to its pastor, The Island Fellowship Church operated in the former Bealls location from the Summer of 1996 until June 1997 when "Fincher's tax abatement" ended.  

Some years ago when I attended University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette LA, there was a Hudson Oil gas station located in the south part of Lafayette. Because it was on the way to my part-time job, I bought gasoline there fairly often. During the times of my vacation trips from Shreveport LA to Galveston (circa late 1970s) I don't have a specific recollection of the Hudson Oil gas station that was located next to the Galvez Mall, but it's likely I stopped and filled up at your (member Dan H) dad's Hudson Oil gas station at least once, either entering or leaving Galveston. With a full tank, my Pontiac Trans Am had more than enough fuel to make the 285 mile trip nonstop. If anything turns up on my end regarding photos, I'll post them.

The integrity of sports competitions presupposes that the respective opponents put forth their best efforts to win, regardless of whatever incentives there are to do otherwise. The 1919 Black Sox Scandal (professional baseball players accepting bribes) is probably the best known example of doing otherwise.

The NFL policy of awarding preferential draft picks to teams in inverse order of their prior season ranking has the stated purpose of equalizing the talent pool among their respective member teams. It has the unfortunate side effect of giving low-performing teams an incentive to lose games.  

As of this posting, the Houston Texans (currently 1 win, 1 tie, 11 losses), are likely to end the 2022 season in a favorable draft position. After their loss (12/11/2002 vs. Dallas Cowboys), one sports writer opined that, late in the game, the Texans opted to try for a field goal rather than a touchdown to lessen the chance they would jeopardize their draft position by winning the game. It follows that those who believed last year (2021 season) by winning the game vs. Jacksonville Jaguars the Texans "lost" by not preserving and possibly degrading their draft position, would now believe (2022 season) by losing the game vs. Dallas Cowboys, the Texans "won" by preserving and possibly improving their draft position.     

Unlike the city itself, the Houston Texans professional football team has a won/loss record that seems low on energy this season. However, their 30 to 16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars yesterday (12/19/2021) is a step in the right direction.

In the original (1975) version of the movie, Rollerball, Houston was called "the energy city." That nickname always seemed appropriate.

An Operating Company based in (you guessed it) Houston will soon turn on an oil and natural gas well they drilled on land my extended family owns.

Haven't been to Houston recently, but hope to return for a visit in the near future.

Texasota makes a good point about those who accumulate things they don't have a use for now but keep them anyway. I knew an otherwise sensible person who rented three 10' x 20' storage units (he called the units FULL, FULLER, & FULLEST) to house the assortment of electronic parts and equipment he accumulated over the years at yard/garage sales and flea markets. At one point, he rented a booth at a local flea market, but seldom sold anything. Another person I ran across at a vintage radio swap meet had about 20 items displayed at his booth, none of them had prices marked and  none of them sold. A couple of days later, I sent him an e-mail inquiring about the price for one of the items he had displayed. He wrote back: "My prices are firm, I do not haggle. I will wait for the right buyer."

Two quotes: [1] "If you hold out for an asking  price you feel you have to get for any particular item, you will likely spend the rest of your life trying to sell it"; [2] "What something is worth is the amount an informed buyer is willing to pay."

To pilotca86: Because you mention having many good memories, would it be correct to assume you sold your Papa G's restaurant before the severe economic recession took hold in Galveston and other cities within the greater Houston area?

During my first trip to Galveston TX (circa July 1975), my then girlfriend and I stayed for 6 days at a motel located within walking distance of Stewart Beach Park, but I didn't recall its name. Thanks to recent information from another member, I am reasonably certain it was the Islander Beach Motel. Most of the motel's rooms (including the one we stayed in) were in a building elevated on concrete piers above the parking area. There were also three or four "cabana" rooms located in an adjacent building (or buildings) at ground level. The restaurant building was vacant. As this motel was not part of a chain with a toll-free reservation number, I had to contact the motel directly to reserve a room. Other than give my name, address, and home phone number, I don't remember anything else that was needed to reserve the room. Presumably the motel would have billed me had we been a "no-show".

The following year (mid-August 1976), I telephoned the Holiday Inn toll-free reservation number, but was told "Galveston is not available." With the likelihood of most, possibly all of the Galveston motels not having vacancies during peak season, it seemed interesting to try a day trip. As documented in another posting, my day trip to Galveston worked out very well.

The following month (mid-September 1976), my call to the Holiday Inn toll-free reservation number was successful. Because this was off-season, there was no problem getting a motel reservation in Galveston. After checking in and getting unpacked, my main activity that evening was taking a road trip to the western end of Galveston Island. Once out of the tourist area, it was mostly beachfront residential areas until the vicinity of San Luis Pass. Because the bridge across San Luis Pass required a toll payment, I opted to turn around and head back to the motel instead of crossing the bridge. According to my car's odometer, the trip was about 27 miles each way (54 miles round trip). The Holiday Inn I stayed at was probably the one located (at that time) near the Port Holiday Mall.

After checking out of the motel the next morning, I spent most of the day at or near Stewart Beach Park, followed by an hour or so at the Galvez Mall. After topping off my car's tank at either the Hudson Oil gas station or another station in the same area, I headed home to my apartment in Shreveport, LA.

Addendum: According to online maps, the road distance from Fort San Jacinto Lookout Point to San Luis Pass is 28.8 miles.

Urban Cowboy grossed nearly $50 million 1980 dollars (approx $165 million in 2021 dollars). With that in mind, the scene depicting southeast Texas with the San Gabriel Mountains visible in the background seems to be a significant error that should have been corrected during post production. There may have been budgetary constraints that limited the amount of time and money that could be spent on post production.

After Urban Cowboy, John Travolta's career declined during the 1980s, but True Lies (1994) returned him to major star status.

By contrast, his costar Debra Winger, became a major star during the 1980s, but her career declined in the 1990s.

The reason for filming scenes depicting Galveston TX in New Orleans LA is likely due to the better tax incentives the state of Louisiana offers compared to those the state of Texas offers. This is also the likely reason scenes depicting Galveston TX in the 2018 movie, GALVESTON, were filmed in Tybee Island GA. For accounting purposes, tax incentives are treated as income; the better the tax incentives, the higher the income. Cost of production in Galveston TX is probably comparable to cost of production in New Orleans LA or Tybee Island GA. In summary, when the costs of production are comparable, it makes good economic sense to chose filming locations in states offering the best tax incentives.

The downside of filming scenes depicting places in Texas in other states is the possibility that many Texans expect scenes depicting Texas to be filmed in Texas.  

In the days before online shopping, many families within reasonable driving distance made annual or semi-annual shopping trips to downtown New Orleans. When I was a kid, I remember going with my parents to several large department stores in or near the central business district including D. H. Holmes and Maison Blanche. Most of these shopping trips from New Iberia to New Orleans were combined with visits to relatives who lived in Thibodaux (approximately 80 miles east of New Iberia and 60 miles west of New Orleans).

New Orleans was (and presumably still is) also a popular location for annual conventions. The conventions my parents attended typically lasted several days. The places I remember staying at (when I was a kid) are: Jung Hotel, Monteleone Hotel, and Tamanaca Downtown Motel. I also remember visiting the 33-storey International Trade Mart building at least once. It has since been repurposed with the new name, Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Orleans.

As a long time visitor to Galveston TX, I look forward to the possibility of a YouTube video featuring the Galvez Mall. From my perspective, this mall was an integral part of the overall Galveston experience. Feel free to contact me at any time if you want explanation or elaboration of anything I have posted. Best regards,

Been there, done that lots of times via Houston I-45 to Galveston. Always wanted to take the ferry from Bolivar Peninsula to Galveston Island. Starting from Beaumont TX, it's about 80 miles and 2 hours driving time via the Bolivar Peninsula. The 2.7 mile ferry ride takes 18 minutes + 9 minutes average loading time either direction. When there is a long line of vehicles waiting to board, there may be a longer waiting time, depending on how many ferries are in service.

By contrast, it's about 120 miles and 2 hours driving time from Beaumont to Galveston via I-10 & I-45. The route via I-10 & I-45 is efficient and convenient provided you avoid arriving in Houston during weekday morning or evening rush hour traffic.

Although there were no nationwide economic recessions during most of the 1980s (1982 to 1990), the 1980s recession affecting the greater Houston TX area (including Galveston TX) is well documented online.

In the mid-to-late 1980s, I was offered a transfer from the Jacksonville FL location to the Houston TX location of GE ICES (Instrumentation Communication Electronic Services) Calibration Lab. To the best of my recollection, nothing was said during the interview process about economic recession conditions or other problems with the Houston area economy. I decided not to take the transfer offer because it was lateral (no promotion) and did not offer financial assistance for moving expenses. Also in the "nothing was said" category, the interviewing manager did not mention that the person I would have replaced had already accepted a transfer offer which included full payment of his moving expenses from Houston TX  to Atlanta GA. Had my transfer offer included financial assistance for moving expenses from Jacksonville FL to Houston TX, it is likely I would have taken the transfer offer and become a Houston resident and weekend Galveston visitor.

Epilogue: In later years, GE ICES and many other GE manufacturing and technical service components went away as GE (General Electric Company) transitioned from being a leading manufacturing company with financial subsidiaries to a middling financial company with manufacturing subsidiaries.

As documented with text and photographs in earlier postings by various members, the interior and exterior of Galvez Mall (Galveston TX) was cosmetically renovated circa mid-1980s as part of a plan by the Rouse Company to convert it from a general purpose to a more upscale retail facility. Photographs (May 1976) show its exterior appearance at the approximate midpoint between its original opening (circa 1968) and its subsequent interior and exterior renovations. Photographs (July 1987) show its interior and exterior appearance after renovations. These renovations were (in my opinion) well executed, but ultimately ineffective for the stated goal of attracting tenants. The then general manager of Galvez Mall attributed this to a "terrible nationwide recession" he recalled taking place during 1986 & 1987.

Although there were no nationwide economic recessions during this time period, there was an economic recession (two or more consecutive quarters of declining economic indicators) in the greater Houston area beginning in the early 1980s and bottoming out in 1987. The recession was due to the collapse of petroleum prices and the consequent high unemployment rate. The greater Houston economy did not recover to its pre-recession level until early 1990. 

To summarize: Galvez Mall opened in 1968 as a general purpose retail shopping mall with a mixture of large, medium, & small retail stores, and a triple-screen movie theater. In circa 1986 the mall was sold and cosmetically renovated (interior & exterior) to attract more upscale tenants. In late 1994, Houston-based developer Steve Fincher (dba Baxstep Investments) purchased the mall, renamed it THE ISLAND, and attempted (without success) to market it as an outlet mall for retailers who sold discontinued and overstocked merchandise. Some taxing authorities (but not Galveston County) provided a 5-year tax abatement to this developer. Beall's (the last major tenant) left the mall in March 1996 leaving only two smaller retail tenants, GNC and Ritz Camera. Non-retail tenants included: Galveston Model Railroad Club, which set up a working model train layout and held meetings inside the mall until circa 1995 and The Island Fellowship Church, which operated at the former Beall's location until mid 1997. Photographs (Oct 1996) show the mall's exterior appearance seven months after Beall's departed. The mall became derelict (probably during the latter months of 1997) until its demolition in 2000. The land where the mall once stood is now is now occupied by two large stores, Home Depot and Target (each with its own building), as well as several smaller stores arranged in a strip. Walmart is only 2.2 miles south at 6702 Seawall Blvd. The nearest multi-screen movie theater, Galveston Primetime, is approximately 3.8 miles away (from Home Depot & Target) at 8902 Seawall Blvd. According to a promotional excerpt from Galveston County The Daily News, island area real estate developer, Miguel Prida, recently purchased the theater. (Access to the full article requires an online or print subscription to the newspaper).    

Having watched the GALVESTON motion picture (2018) on Blu-Ray, my next step was to read the novel (2010) it was based on. The GALVESTON novel by Nic Pizzolatto has mostly good reviews from readers and literary critics. My hardcover with dust jacket book in used/very good condition came from Thriftbooks, Dallas TX.

The main characters in the novel (Roy Cady and Raquel Arceneaux) are complex and flawed, the "bad guys" they encounter are very bad.

Most of the novel is set in 1988, told in first person by Roy Cady. Various flashbacks, also told in first person, provide background information on events in Cady's life that put him on the path to becoming a career criminal. The latter part of the novel is set in 2008, up to the day the approaching storm (Hurricane Ike) makes landfall at Galveston Island.

In addition to the Port Holiday Mall in Galveston TX, I know of two other examples of enclosed shopping malls that were repurposed successfully rather than becoming derelict and eventually torn down: [1] Grand Boulevard Mall, a small (289,000 square foot) upscale mall in Jacksonville FL was purchased by Florida State College at Jacksonville and developed into classroom and other campus facilities. I attended classes there as part of the Florida public school teacher certification requirements; [2] South Park Mall, a large general purpose mall in Shreveport LA, was purchased by Summer Grove Baptist Church in 2003 and developed into a comprehensive church facility. Originally built to serve a fast growing residential area near a large Western Electric factory (5,000 employees), the mall foundered when the factory closed down in 2000 and many former employees and their families moved away. To make matters worse for the remaining retail merchants, General Motors closed down an assembly plant (3,000 employees) in the same area circa 2012.

Beach erosion, the loss of sand deposits, is an ongoing natural process. Fortunately, the periodic dredging needed to maintain the depth of the Houston Ship Channel provides an ample amount of sand that can be used to offset beach erosion and in many cases, expand existing beaches. Sea level rise due to climate change is a more difficult problem to solve.

Remember the Port Holiday Mall quite well. Shopped there several times during vacation trips to Galveston. It was about a mile inland (easy driving distance) from Stewart Beach Park. On one vacation trip, my then girlfriend had a wardrobe malfunction and needed a replacement swimsuit. One of the mall's stores (don't remember the name of the store) had a good selection of women's swimsuits. Overall, the men's and women's clothing prices at this and other stores were comparable to what we were accustomed to paying for similar clothing items back home in Shreveport LA.

According to online sources, [1] the Port Holiday Mall operated as a retail mall from 1969 to 1993; [2] in 1996, the former retail mall became the UTMB (University of Texas Medical Branch) Primary Care Pavilion. [3] Due to population shifts within Galveston County from Galveston TX to League City TX, some of the medical offices moved out of the former mall to other locations in the League City area.

Interesting, high quality photographs showing The Rouse Company's late 1980s interior and exterior changes designed to transition the Galvez Mall from a general purpose to a more upscale shopping venue. If my memory is correct, before this late 1980s renovation, there was an Orange Julius located in one of center aisle booths. In 2004, The Rouse Company was sold to General Growth Properties. In 2012, General Growth Properties spun off 30 malls into a new real estate investment trust, Rouse Properties.

Kudos to HAIF members who mention specific movies they watched at the Galvez Mall movie theater complex. Assuming first run showing dates, this narrows the time frame to within a few weeks of any given year.

If and when the Covid-19 pandemic subsides and there is a reliable vaccine (or vaccines) to inhibit its recurrence, it might be fun to check out the Pier 21 movies on the hour and half hour as well as the Galveston 11 theater complex. Have seen consistently good reviews for the former, mixed reviews for the latter.

2021 Addendum: Reviews for the Galveston 11 theater complex are more positive now that new management has taken over and invested in renovations to the theater's plant and equipment, particularly the seating. Many reviewers comment favorably about the improved seating, but comment unfavorably about the prices charged for food, candy, and beverages. This seems to be a common complaint made by theater patrons in many areas of the country. When I worked as an TV advertising salesman in Shreveport LA, the theater managers I called on told me: [1] after the various media distributors are paid their percentage from ticket sales revenue, the amount of money left over after other operating expenses (utilities, maintenance, payroll, taxes, consumable items, etc.) are paid is barely enough for the theater operator to break even; [2] the theater operator's profits come from the sale of food, candy, and beverage items to the theater patrons. What I have been told by these theater managers has not been corroborated by any written financial records.

2022 Addendum: The good news is the Covid-19 pandemic has subsided to some extent. The bad news is record high fuel costs have made travel (and many other things) more expensive.       

Thanks to the various HAIF members for their postings with a lot of detail about the Galvez Mall as it was during the 1970s & 1980s. As a tourist, particularly when on a day trip, the mall was a great place to visit after spending time at the beach. Stewart Beach Park had (and probably still has) dressing rooms with showers and a secure place to store street clothes, similar to those found at public swimming pools. After a shower and change back to street clothes, it was always fun to visit the mall, browse the shops, get something to eat, and maybe watch a movie, before returning home. As I recall, it was about 5 miles west on Broadway (I-45) from Stewart Beach Park to the Galvez Mall. Once it was time to return home later in the evening, the parking area behind the mall's theater complex was near or adjacent to I-45, reducing the chance of getting lost or "turned around" in the darkness (this was before the advent of "smart" phones with their detailed directions apps). Regret not bringing a camera with me to document my trips to Galveston (again, before the advent of "smart" phones with their built-in digital cameras).

At Galveston as well as most other beach resorts, many people (myself included) want to go to the beach as soon as they can get their luggage in the motel room and change into swimwear. The motels usually reduced or shut off the room's air conditioning whenever the room was not occupied. I can remember coming in to a warm to hot room and turning on the air conditioning to near its maximum cooling setting before changing into swimwear and heading out to the beach. Upon returning to the room a couple of hours later, the room felt uncomfortably cold after I had been out in the hot sun most of that time. Looking back, it would have been more sensible to go easy on the air conditioning controls until after returning to the room, taking a shower, and changing into street clothes.

Sadly, the Galvez Mall (opened 1968; 400,000 sq. ft. indoor area) decline and eventual closing (circa late 1990s) is an all too common story for enclosed malls in many areas.

[1] Festival Bay Mall in Orlando, FL (opened 2002; 865,000 sq. ft. indoor area), located at the intersection of Universal Drive and W. Oak Ridge Road (approx 2 miles east of Universal Studios Florida, 9 miles north of Walt Disney World, and 9 miles south of downtown Orlando) was nearly empty for several years until it was renamed, remodeled, and repurposed to an arts & crafts oriented mall with the new name, Artegon Mall. The new name and remodeling only delayed the inevitable decline of this mall. Prior to its most recent purchase in circa 2018, all that remained open for business was a Cinemark movie theater complex and a Bass Pro Shop sporting goods store/boat dealership, each of which having their own outside entrances. Ron Jon Surf Shop also had its own outside entrance, but it closed and relocated before the mall's name change. Addendum: According to online sources: Miami (FL) based Dezer Development purchased the mall in 2018 and reopened it in 2021 as Dezerland Park Orlando. One of its advertised features is an extensive collection of automobiles and automotive memorabilia. This latest iteration combines the features of a shopping mall with an automotive-themed museum. Its current slogan is: "Indoor Fun All Day"

[2] Regency Square Mall in the Arlington region of Jacksonville, FL (opened 1967; 1,400,000 sq. ft. indoor area) is located midway between downtown Jacksonville and the beach areas. At its peak, it was one of the highest performing malls (sales per square foot of enclosed area) in the United States. It had many retail stores, a large food court, multi-screen movie theaters (one inside next to the food court, the other in stand-alone building) , and two arcade game rooms. With the closing of J.C. Penney in October 2020, Dillard's Clearance Center is the only anchor store remaining in Regency Square Mall. Part of the mall was repurposed to house the Impact Church. In addition, other current mall tenants include a Sheriff's Office Substation and assorted small and medium retail shores.

Visited the Galvez Mall several times during the mid-1970s when I lived in Shreveport, LA. Although a 5-hour drive, Galveston was the closest "full service" beach resort. Lots of ads promoting Galveston tourism aired on Shreveport TV stations during the summer season, plus post season ads in September. The Port Holiday Mall, Holiday Inn Motel, The Islander Hotel, and Mario's Pizza were all near Stewart Beach Park. After an afternoon at the beach and a change back to street clothes, I usually finished the day by visitng the Galvez Mall. While visiting the mall, l bought several books at B. Dalton Bookstore, including a Sherlock Holmes hardcover anthology, The Complete Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes (Castle Books, distributed by Book Sales, Inc.) On one of my day trips (Shreveport to Galveston and back on the same day), I finished the day by watching The Gumball Rally (a road trip comedy movie starring Michael Sarrazin, Norman Burton, Raul Julia, Gary Busey) at the mall's triple theater complex.

Saw the posting with photos of a group of 1970s Pontiac Trans Am cars parked in the Galvez Mall parking lot. By coincidence, my Shreveport to Galveston round trips were made in a similar Pontiac Trans Am. Had I known of the Trans Am gatherings at Galvez Mall back then, I would likely have attended at least one of the gatherings.