| I know people who visit Galveston without ever stepping foot on its beaches. They're drawn more to the island's history. On May 13-14, the Galveston Historical Foundation will continue hosting its annual tour of the island's historic district. The tour highlights five Galveston buildings along with the stories attached to them and their architectural significance. One is the 1838 Menard House, the oldest house on the island. The furnishings inside date to the 1850s. Houston doesn't have a good track record for preserving its own architectural history, but in Galveston, it's the opposite. Those buildings are an integral part of its identity. Whenever I drive through an older part of any city, like League City's historic oak-lined downtown district, the homes remind me of something out of a movie from the 1940s. In Nassau Bay, there are the 1960s-era Dutch-style storefronts not far from Johnson Space Center. In old Pasadena, there's a still-thriving strip center that looks like it was frozen in time during the 1960s. To me, the intact architecture of these buildings adds character to these cities. yorozco@houstonchronicle.com | 
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