Royston Nave Memorial
306 West Commercial Street

Built in 1932 and sited beside Moody Street—U.S. Highways 59 and 77—the Royston Nave Memorial gets a lot of attention from travelers. It is something of a shock to come up from the Guadalupe River bottoms and see a building that looks like a Greek Temple sitting beside the highway! The building faces south. There are no windows in the structure, and a pair of fret vent panels beside the main door allow light into the bathrooms. The symmetrical five-bay entrance façade features six Ionic columns which support the portico. The entrance is enhanced by carved facing with egg and dart molding. The words “ROYSTON NAVE MEMORIAL” are incised into the stone of the frieze panel below the front gable.

 

Mrs. Nave’s original intent was that her late husband’s art works would hang inside, and the memorial would be open to the public. Shortly after the building was completed the Bronte Library was invited to move into the building. The paintings were raised high on the walls to accommodate the book shelves. This “partnership” continued until the new Victoria Public Library building was completed in 1976. At this point the McCan family donated the building to the City of Victoria, with the stipulation that it was to be used as an art museum.

 

The Nave Museum continues to be the focal point for exhibits of graphic arts in Victoria.​

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You can learn more about this home and the families that have lived here in Volume I of Historic Homes of Victoria, available here online through our SHOP or at the Victoria Preservation, Inc. office.