GMJ opens new office after $1.3 million renovation of historic Port Arthur home
By Dannie Oliveaux | dannieoliveaux@theexaminer.com
Hundreds of people gathered at the former Morris-Booz House in Port Arthur on May 14 for the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of Griffith, Moseley, Johnson and Associates’ (GMJ) new offices.
GMJ, formerly housed in the Third Coast Bank Building in Port Arthur, operates a business model to provide strategic support to businesses, industry and government in a range of practice areas, including site selection and economic development, environmental and regulatory affairs and business development.
The historic site GMJ now calls home, also known as White Haven, is located at 2545 Lakeshore Dr. and was remodeled by JD Knight Construction of Nederland.
According to information provided by GMJ, the home changed hands several times in the past before it was purchased last year.
According to GMJ’s Carl Griffith, he and his wife, Lori Ryerkerk-Griffith, came to the house during an estate sale.
“We walked around looking at it, and we’ve been talking about building an office in Port Arthur for 20 years,” he said.
Griffith said he tried to put a deal together 20 years ago to acquire the home while working with the Port Arthur Economic Development Corp.
“One thing that we said before we spent our money down here, we wanted to lift up Port Arthur, and we wanted to have unanimous support from the city council,” he said. “There was one council member who would not support us, so we backed off because it wasn’t a good investment initially.”
Griffith said, this time around, they had the support of the mayor and City Council.
“We wouldn’t be here without the EDC because that was another piece of it,” he said. “And, I don’t mind telling you the numbers. We paid $192,000 for this house and put more than $1.3 million into it, with the EDC providing $400,000 of that.”
“We believe it has already impacted Port Arthur,” Griffith added. “It’s already pushing prices up right around here.”
Griffith mentioned Motiva’s renovation of the old hotel in downtown Port Arthur as a key component to revitalizing the city, especially downtown.
“I’ve got real hope in the leadership of Port Arthur, and I think we’re going in the right direction,” he said. “We wouldn’t have made the investment here if it weren’t for that.”
Griffith said the project would not have happened without his wife.
“She persevered and pushed people and worked hard to make this thing happen,” he said. “This is a beautiful building. It wouldn’t have happened without Lori. I absolutely don’t have the talent or the patience.”
Griffith said GJM is currently involved in $150 billion in projects across the United States and that tax abatements are key to attracting companies to Jefferson County.
He added that Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick and his wife, Sherry, encouraged him to purchase the house.
Branick recalled spending many days driving along Lakeshore Drive with his family while growing up in Port Arthur.
After graduating from Baylor Law School, he said law firms in Dallas and Houston expressed interest in hiring him.
“I told Dean McQuain at Baylor Law School that, if I got to work anywhere, I was going back to Port Arthur,” Branick said. “I loved this part of the county. It’s a wonderful place to grow up and a wonderful experience.”
Griffith thanked Precinct 3 Commissioner Michael Shane Sinegal for support during his time on the Port Arthur City Council.
“It takes vision, and everyone wants Port Arthur to come back,” Sinegal said. “I thank you for wanting to come to our town. I told the mayor and council this is going to be a nucleus for redevelopment downtown.”
Mayor Charlotte Moses said the city appreciates GJM’s investment in Port Arthur.
“What an amazing building that we get to admire just by driving down and seeing the investment taking place in our community and in our city,” Moses said. “We congratulate you on being in our city and look forward to working with you.”
“They have become a pillar in this community, and I want to thank you on behalf of the chamber for investing in Southeast Texas and specifically in Port Arthur,” said Cole Michalk, chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, speaking on behalf of Chamber President and CEO Joe Tant. “They could have chosen anywhere else to invest, and they picked right here in downtown Port Arthur.”
The open house was followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Chamber.
Renovation
David Knight, owner of JD Knight Construction of Nederland, said that, after Griffith purchased the house in 2024, the first tasks he was asked to undertake were leveling the building and installing a new roof to prevent water damage.
The old carport was demolished to make room for five new offices and a bathroom.
Next came the task of replacing water and sewer lines throughout the structure.
“I started cutting holes in the floor sporadically and put the smallest people I could find underneath the house to replumb it,” Knight said.
He noted that, because it was an older house, all of the water and sewer pipes, gas lines and electrical wiring had to be updated to meet current building codes. Tankless water heaters also were installed.
“Anything we added was all brand new,” Knight said.
Knight said the house was rewired during its last renovation in 1986 by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
“The guy who rewired the home actually called me,” he said.
As for the windows, Knight replaced them all with impact-resistant materials and tried to keep them as close to the originals as possible.
He said the house was retrimmed, but he kept the first floor as close to the original design as possible.
“I tried to keep it all the same as I could,” Knight said. “It was a challenge.”
Knight said door sizes in the early 1900s were not standardized like they are today.
“We were missing a door, and I actually had a guy who worked for me from Honduras who was very creative. He built a door from scratch that matched,” Knight said. “I had to do some creative stuff.”
After leveling the home and replacing the roof, Knight said the renovation was delayed by the permitting and drawing approval process and obtaining “all the blessings from the city.”
“I think the time I could really start doing some serious demo was probably March or April 2025,” he said. “I know I was full speed ahead by June.”
The spiral staircase was restored by sanding it and applying a clear coat.
“The carpet that went up the center, which was actually ruined, was replaced by a pretty expensive carpet I had to order,” Knight said. “And, it’s as close to the original one as we could get. I think what they had originally was wool.”
According to Knight, Griffith requested foam insulation throughout the attic.
“We also changed all the air conditioning systems to super-high efficiency,” he said.
All of the window facings, both inside and outside, as well as the floors, are made of treated wood.
“We matched the trim, but it was really tough,” he said. “It is very close.”
Knight noted that Griffith’s wife, Lori Ryerkerk-Griffith, designed “everything on this page.”
“Lori did an excellent job picking out stuff for the house,” he said. “They’ve got something to be proud of over there. It looks great. It really does.”
Knight said, for the record, all of the chandeliers are original.
“We moved them around, but the one in the conference room is worth more than $50,000,” he said. “I spent a bit of money just building boxes to crate them, send them off and have them rewired.”
Knight said he did not have to take all of the walls down to the studs, only in several areas.
The third-generation homebuilder noted that both of his grandfathers built houses in Port Arthur during the 1930s and 1940s.
“Needless to say, I tore a few of them apart,” he said.
Knight said builders during that era used shiplap for walls before drywall became common.
“When sheetrock came along, they would put it over the shiplap walls and repaint it,” he said.
Knight said the renovation was a project he wanted to take on.
“It wasn’t about the money,” he said. “I was up for a challenge, and that was one I wanted.”
History
The two-story home was built in 1915 for Dr. H.D. Morris, a physician and British consul, when Lakeshore Drive emerged as one of the city’s most prominent residential corridors. In 1919, Morris sold the house to Clarence Booz, who transformed the home architecturally and lived there until 1942.
Carl and Stella White, who renamed the residence White Haven, purchased the home in 1942.
In 1985, following Stella White’s death, the home entered a new chapter under the stewardship of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which preserved many of its historic details.
