Leon & H. Blum Co. Building

A young Alsatian immigrant, Leon Blum (1836-1906), joined his brother Alexander in a business partnership in Richmond, Texas, about 1852. The company, A.Blum & Bro., moved to Galveston in 1859. The new firm of Leon & H. Blum was founded late in 1868, composed of brothers, Leon, Alexander, and Sylvain, and cousins Hyman and Joseph. The firm was Galveston's leading importer and wholesale dealer in dry goods for more than twenty years. Leon & H. Blum served the southwestern United States, Indian Territory, and Mexico, and had offices in New York, Boston, and Paris, France. Headquarters were established in this building in 1880. Designed for the company by Eugene Heiner (1852-1901), the Blum building was enlarged in 1882 with the input of noted Galveston architect Nicholas Clayton (1840-1916). The nationwide Depression of the 1890s severely affected the business of Leon & H. Blum, and in 1896 the firm was dissolved. Since that time, the building has housed numerous establishments. The Mistrot & Bros. Company operated a large retail store here until 1917. Vacant for several years, the building later housed offices of the "Galveston Tribune." Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986

Leon & H. Blum Co. Building is a historical marker in Galveston, Galveston County, dedicated in 1986. It is one of 283 historical markers documented in Galveston County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 373 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.3062, -94.7947 near Galveston. The nearest cataloged historic site is Washington Hotel (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Thomas Jefferson League Building, Schreiber-Miller Warehouse, and Magale Building.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5167007515. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.