Besson Building

Besson Building. . In 1893, Madame Martha Fontaine-Besson who was at the World's Fair when the founders were promoting La Porte, decided to investigate the wonders of Texas. She journeyed to La Porte on one of the excursion trains from Chicago., Madame Fontaine-Besson invested in many properties around the new town. Among her investments were a cottage as Sylvan Beach, a farm in Lomax, and a town lot on the corner of Main and Second Street. Madam Besson stayed in La Porte long enough to make her investments and oversee the beginning of the construction of a three-story brick building on her town lot. She then returned to England and never visited La Porte again although she did have agents taking care of her property., The three-story building that was erected on this spot was built from brick manufactured at at the brick yards north of town. Over the years, the building housed a number of businesses. The first Board of Trade (Chamber of Commerce) was organized in this building. The third floor had been set aside as a general meeting room for different groups., In 1915, one of the the tenants owned the Quick Service Garage in the back part of the first floor which was half shell and half wood. It was here on June 5, 1915 that a fire started from spark that ignited a container of gasoline. It was the worst fire the city had ever had. This fire destroyed not only this building, but most of downtown La Porte. The townspeople had just begun rebuilding their damaged town when the Great Storm of 1915 destroyed all of their efforts. Thus was a great setback but the town was rebuilt.