League-Kempner Home - March 14th, 2026
The house is undergoing a complete restoration but still open for tours
Alex poses before the east side Porte-cochère
Continue to the corner of Broadway & 17th Street
Built by J.C. League, the land provider of both Friendswood & League City!
The third floor open air porches were filled in by the 2nd owner
Head up the stairs and take a docent guided tour for $15/person
Did not take a photo of the Reception Hall desk w/docent talking to me.
From the Reception Hall, take an immediate right into the Library
Leaded glass panels removed from cabinets during construction
JC League lived here 1893 until his death via burst appendix in 1916
Go back across the Reception Hall to the Parlor, left of the entry
All fireplaces in the home burn natural gas around artificial logs
The house was built with Central Heat that rose from below out the ducts
Rotten wood trim removed from around the curved original windows
Head back right to the Dining Hall where a grander table once stood
Dining Hall has 3 windows on 2 sides and a door to the kitchen
Portrait of Eliza Kempner who acquired the house in 1920 & made changes
Architect of this last, great house of the Broadway Castle District
Pass the Grand Stairway at the rear of the Reception Hall to the Sunroom
Photo of Eliza Kempner with 9 of her 12 grandchildren
Eliza had 11 children, the youngest 13 months old when her husband died
Her oldest son helped her gain the estate when her husband died w/o a will
Daisy League was the only child of JC League
Alex in the Sunroom added by Eliza Kempner after 1920
Originally built with 2 bedrooms for 3 people, a guest room & servant's room
You can see the Sunroom was added beyond the original exterior wall
Large Butler's Pantry held all the dishware, shelves currently removed
Industrial nameplate of the small water heater pictured prior
Water heater moved from next room for floor repair
Water heater left of gas cooking stove both removed to repair floor
Original 1893 stove & vent hood removed to make repairs
Rotting floor has since been repaired/replaced in basement below
Small rear pantry beyond the stove stored all the food items
Large left side sink lowered & all wall and floor tile saved to be replaced
Elevator raised to second floor after being flooded by Hurricane Harvey
Original dumbwaiter replaced in 1930 with people lifting Otis Elevator
Another storage room and now work room toward the rear of the house
View of backyard & garage through rear delivery entry door
Take the back stairs up to the second floor
Look back down the stairs before continuing upward
Original family bathroom floor is being repaired & tiled removed for now
The tub is out in the hallway as we exit and walk to the main stairway
The main 2nd floor hallway that leads to all bedrooms & grand stairway
Grand stairway had 2 stained glass windows but 1920 bedroom seen thru one
Stained glass removed while repairs to damaged wood underway
Enter the smallest & guest bedroom, now named for Eliza's son
Right side doors originally opened to a covered porch, now closed in
One door goes to an added bathroom, the other filled in as a wall
Wood around the fireplace was damaged by termites and will be replaced
The blue bathroom must have been added after the 1950s
Before and after photos of the open porch piazza, top; Enclosed, bottom
Continue by the blue bathroom to the rest of the enclosed 2nd Floor porch
Clayton termed the the 2nd floor open porch as a piazza
Enter the League's master bedroom through the door to the enclosed porch
This room has an original light fixture that lit via electricity or gas
Walk-in closet, left; Small closet, with running water sink, left
Sitting area left of the walk-in closet and doorway to daughter's bedroom
Wall to the added blue bathroom cleared out for access to plumbing
West side bedroom built for 17 year old Daisy League
Left door back to parent's room, right window to enclosed balcony porch
Transoms above doors facilitate air movement between the rooms
Before and after photos of the west side 2nd floor closed in porch
Small balcony enclosed in 1920 to create a screened sleeping porch?
Tile stored elsewhere to help remove rotten wood around the fireplace
Pink bathroom added in the 1920s, placed above the Sunroom
Original 1920 shower with heat vents, right, & cabinet for heating towels
Modern toilet shown but 1920 flush button to original toilet left in place
Looking back to Daisy's room thru the bath that didn't exist for her
Bedroom added in 1920 above the Sunroom in Spanish Revival style
Ceiling and floor panels were remove to replace the collapsing wood
Curved doors & window frames match the Sunroom's curved windows below
This room blocked light through the Grand Stairway Stained Glass window
Portion of stair landing taken to create this separate entrance to the bedroom
And created this dressing area to the new bedroom
Exit the added bedroom and cross the grand stairway landing
Servant's area does not have all the fancy decorations on walls & windows
Closet inside the servant's bedroom has a slophopper work sink!
This back stairway is the only one that reaches the third floor
Looking up toward the 3rd floor landing at the 90° left turn
Look inside the closet hosting the elevator lift machinery
Do a 180° from the elevator machine and proceed down the hallway
Hallway's first doorway right goes to a full bathroom added in 1920
Sink from prior photo was from a 2nd floor bedroom half bath closet
Laylight area & cupola w/plywood over stained glass above grand stairway
Enter an unfinished part of the 3rd floor used for storage
White walled chimney flue in the center vented CO from Uncle Lee's bdrm
Sloping roof of the east side of the home, facing 17th Street
Large storage area left and servant sink on the right
Docent thought that clothing was stored up here between the seasons
Servants used the sink to wash hands or small items of clothing
Hand pump was used to draw water from the gravity tank next door
Antique toys under the right side forward turret point
East side window gives views of Bishop's Palace, another Clayton design
Attic at the house front was closed in to form 2 more bedrooms
Right side top floor window looking from Broadway at the home
This is the center top floor window looking at the home from Broadway
Transoms above the doors allow air movement throughout the home
Two doorways, one to the added bedroom and one to hallway
West side 3rd floor window over Daisy's 1920 enclosed bedroom patio
Short door accesses plumbing and wiring beyond the wall
Take the hall from the west side, 3rd floor bdrm back to the stairs
Honeywell thermostat still has power running to it
Head down below the east side triangle window, & before the lift machinery
Tight, two floor stairway not advised for pool table/refrigerator traversing
Servant intercom system has seen better days
Roof collapsed on the post 1920 garage, overrun with vines & foliage
Fake paneling over brick removed to repair failing mortar
Painted plywood covers windows w/stained glass safely stored for now
Mason's have rebuilt the stairway & garage with same bricks, last 3 years
Enter basement workroom w/new copper roof drain emptying on left
Workroom below 1920 added Sunroom has radiator panel as floormat
Ground floor elevator box that was completely flooded during Harvey
Hard work of restoring the home is done down here
Tools and equipment for making restoration are also kept down here
And all material removed to shore up the structure stored here
Failed water cistern below now filled in & new concrete floor in place
Step outside and view the 1920 added Sunroom & bedroom extension
Daisy's bedroom patio enclosed & 3rd floor blue bedroom west side window
Garage electrical box behind garage w/veneer removed & masonry repaired
New steel lintels in place to support the masonry over the wall openings
The non-profit is working feverishly to host a wedding in two weeks
Years have been spent taming the completely over grown back yard
Glass removed from green house panels too rotten to support their weight
Girl Scout Gold Award pollinator garden the NW corner of the lot
View from the back corner of the large acre lot toward the back of the home
Looking east toward 17th Street over the now landscaped back yard
The yard was angled to drain into the cistern under the home
But has since been leveled as flood water bad for million dollar mansions
NE corner of the home w/kitchen & pantry and garage in the distance
Garage & patio will be rented out for weddings & events to raise funds
Front gardens have earned the L-K house yard of the month lately
Metal design protects a west side window of a current work room
Exit the back yard and see the falling brick fence along Sealy Avenue
The owner may restore the brick fence or remove it entirely
View of the rear of the home & garage from beyond the pollinator garden
Alex enjoyed her tour and is ready to see Bishop's Palace next!
The house was invisible from 17th & Sealy due to the 50 year overgrown yard
Across 17th Street is anothe fine home, the 1890 Trube Castle
Architect Alfred Mueller also designed the Galveston Orphans Home in 1895, now known as The Bryan Museum