Galveston's next destination

Historic Galveston hotel renovation makes waves with 2 Houston hospitality superstars

A rendering shows the plans for Hotel Lucine.

Courtesy of Kartwheel Studio

A boutique hotel boasting waterfront views and destination-worthy food and drink is coming to Galveston next summer. Hotel Lucine will occupy the historic Treasure Isle Motel property at the intersection of 10th Street and Seawall Boulevard.

The 61-room property will be centered around its pool and an adjacent area called the Den that will serve as the venue for breakfast, lunch, and cocktails in the evening. Austin-based design firm Kartwheel Studio’s plans call for preserving the building’s mid century feel with details such as white brick, bleached white oak and native greenery.

Hotel Lucine's partners possess strong Galveston ties, which is important in a city where being BOI establishes a required level of credibility. They include: Dave Jacoby, a finance and hospitality developer who also serves as president of the board of the Galveston Historical Foundation; Robert Marcus, who has a background in real estate and hotels; and Galveston native Keath Jacoby, a marketing executive who recently worked with Vision Galveston.

“Our vision for Hotel Lucine is an alluring destination for visitors and locals alike, a place that feels refined and modern but still approachable and full of heart and soul like a good house party,” Dave Jacoby said in a statement.

“We hope to make it a refuge for culture, fun, and culinary and cocktail delights that you never want to leave,” added Robert Marcus.

To create the "culinary and cocktail delights," the hotel’s ownership recruited Houstonians Bobby Heugel and Justin Yu to serve as operating partners for the food and beverage offerings.

The duo, who together own Heights patio bar Better Luck Tomorrow and the European-inspired restaurant Squable, are also known for Heugel's status as a co-founder and owner of seminal Houston cocktail destination Anvil Bar & Refuge and for Yu's work as the James Beard Award-winning chef-owner of Theodore Rex. Yes, this hotel is the "big project" Heugel alluded to in his announcement about the decision to close downtown agave bar The Pastry War.

The duo will be responsible for developing the food and beverage offerings for the Den, an additional restaurant on the property, and a rooftop bar that will offer 180-degree views of the Gulf of Mexico. Heugel tells CultureMap the duo are still finalizing their plans for the project and will have more to say in the coming months.

For now, Houstonians can contemplate spending a weekend next summer on Galveston in an environment that's a little more intimate and stylish than the other properties on Seawall Boulevard. After all, the only way to find out if the aroma of sea air makes a Bobby Heugel martini taste even better than normal is to go up on the roof and find out.

hotels

REVIVING THE ALAMO

Texas landmark the Alamo reclaims historic cannon from private ownership

Photo by Gower Brown/ Unsplash

A 90-pound cannon used in the Battle of the Alamo is returning to its San Antonio home.

It turns out the Alamo's original 1836 cannons are good for more than just defense — they also make a sturdy birdbath. After serving as a garden ornament for Samuel Maverick’s descendants, an authentic piece of San Antonio history is finally returning home to the revered mission.

According to an Alamo announcement, the swivel cannon weighs 90 pounds and is approximately three feet long. The relic was originally found in 1852 when Maverick built a home near the northwest corner of the battle’s site.

The lawyer and land baron was saved from death when he was urged by William Barret Travis to ride to the Texas Declaration of Independence convention in Washington-on-the-Brazos to send reinforcements. Returning to the Alamo’s grounds, he found a cache of cannons buried where the Hotel Gibbs sits today.

From there, the cannon wound up at the Maverick family’s Sunshine Ranch on the Northwest Side, where it was eventually incorporated into the garden DIY project. In 1955, the cannon was removed from the ranch, and the current location remained a mystery until the Alamo received a call from a Maverick relative in Corpus Christi.

Alamo cannon This Alamo artifact gives an idea of what the cannon will look like once restoration is complete.Photo courtesy of the Alamo.

“The relative graciously donated the cannon to the Alamo,” wrote a rep from the mission. “Alamo Senior Researcher and Historian Kolby Lanham and Head Conservator Pam Jary Rosser drove down the very next day to take this piece of history home to the Alamo.”

Although the artillery is mostly intact, it is missing its trunnions (the pivot-point protrusions on the sides of the barrel) and cascabel (the knob and neck assembly at the rear of historic muzzle-loading cannons). The parts were removed by the Mexican army to make the cannon inoperable.

Once preservation is complete, this cannon and the Alamo Collection’s other battle cannons will make their way to the upcoming Visitor Center and Museum, where they will be joined by rocker Phil Collins' collection of Alamo artifacts. The Alamo is in the midst of a $550 million preservation project, which includes conserving the Alamo Church, Long Barrack, and the mission’s original footprint. The museum is on track to debut in late 2027.

history museums artifacts texas history the alamo