Galveston, Galveston County
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