222 22nd St
Galveston, TX 77550, USA

Strand Historic District, Kaufman & Runge Building, 222 Twenty-second St Galveston, Galveston County, TX

Considered one of Galveston`s architectural monuments, this neo-Renaissance building was erected for Juluis Kauffman and Julius Runge. Kauffman founded J. Kauffman and Company, an import goods house, in 1840 which became Kauffman and Runge in 1874 with the partnership of Julius Runge. The company was one of the first to import foreign commodities into Galveston and Texas and later initiated the first Texas direct coffee trade with Rio de Janeiro. Coffee importation subsequently became a prime factor in the economic growth of the firm. By the 1880s Kauffman and Runge was one of Galveston`s leading firms and in addition to its importing department, responsible for procuring Brazilian and Mexican coffee and European wines, liquors and mineral waters, it had developed a wholesale grocery and distilling department, as well as cotton factor and cotton shipment and export departments. The company also introduced a number of German immigrants into Texas as they were agents for the North German Lloyds.