Many of the beautiful buildings still remain that were built during this grand era, built with all of the best talent and materials that the society of the time was capable of producing. Fine architects designed both the mansions along Broadway Street and the buildings of the Strand area in styles inspired by the golden ages of the Greeks or the Victorians. A surprising number of our historic buildings escaped the devastation of the 1900 Storm, and still remain, many of which have been restored to their original grand splendor. Other features that provide the Strand with its' unique and romantic charm are the high curbs, the overhanging canopies that were designed to shade the streets from the Texas summers, and the horse drawn carriages that pass slowly in the streets, at so much slower a pace than the automobiles of today. The Strand is also the host of the Galveston Mardi Gras celebrations, Dickens on the Strand   among many other festivities, and - of course - antiques, shopping , and art galleries.