Since 2018, we have been striving to elevate

architecture along the Gulf Coast and beyond.

Our projects are designed with an innate understanding of what it means to design & build along the Gulf Coast - because it is tricky. Our founder, Cate Black, has worked almost exclusively in Galveston for over 15 years. This is reflected in our comprehensive knowledge of coastal design & build best practices, local building codes and design regulations, and the excellent relationships we have with other local industry professionals.

Though we primarily work in Galveston, our service and expertise extends beyond the island. We hope to work with you soon.

SERVICES

We work with clients from concept to completion of their projects. We are deeply invested in the success of what we design.

  • We provide programming, schematic design, design development, construction drawings, specifications, and construction administration for our design projects.

    This includes residential and small commercial; both new builds as well as new build-outs within existing spaces.

  • In addition to the design services offered for new projects, we can provide these services and as-built drawings for renovation & rehabilitation projects.

    This includes residential and small commercial; both existing stand-alone buildings and build-outs.

  • Construction Administration (CA) is a standard service for any project designed by Cate Black, but we can also provide local CA services for projects being built in Galveston that were designed by other architects. As the local architect, we will oversee the project to ensure that it is built according to the construction documents.

    CA services may include periodic site visits, reviewing material samples as needed, payment coordination with contractors, etc.

  • We provide consultations for a variety of services, ranging from verification of buildable square footage on beachfront lots (hint: it’s often not the whole lot), to project feasibility of addition/renovation work.

Meet the Team

  • Portrait of architect Cate Black, founder of Cate Black Architecture Studio in Galveston, Texas.

    Cate Black

    AIA, FORTIFIED Wise, SEED

    Principal & Founder

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  • Portrait of Maryza Eguiluz, Architectural Designer for Cate Black Architecture Studio in Galveston, Texas.

    Maryza Eguiluz

    Associate AIA

    Architectural Designer

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  • A young woman with long brown hair, wearing a black top and gray pants with a belt, standing against a white wall, smiling, with hands clasped in front.

    Wendy Pantoja

    Associate AIA

    Junior Architectural Designer

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  • A woman with short hair, glasses, and dark skin, smiling and standing against a white wall. She is wearing a black t-shirt, beige pants, and several jewelry pieces including rings, bracelets, a necklace, and earrings.

    KiaVania Wells

    Associate AIA

    Junior Architectural Designer

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  • Sarah Lewis-Rubio

    Office Assistant

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  • "Cate helped us with an extensive remodel for our house in Galveston. She did a fantastic job with the house, incorporating great design ideas, listening to our thoughts, and developing practical solutions. No remodel is problem-free, and Cate was always available to work with the contractor to work through issues when they came up. We love how the house turned out and would highly recommend Cate!”

    Russel Smith

  • "My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed working with Cate and her team on a renovation of our beach house in Pirate’s Beach West. She and her team are so professional and easy to work with, patiently listening to my ideas as I changed my mind or had other suggestions, questions, etc. She and her team are communicative, professional and just really know their business and are just nice people. We always felt listened to and attended to. We loved her design and would go to her again and again. Cannot say enough good things!”

    Shannon Miller

  • "Cate has helped us to design a beach home. She creates beautiful spaces that are also functional. She provides good direction with regard to what works in a design, as well as the construction process. She is efficient, responsive, detail-focused, and honest. She does not operate on island time as many others do in the construction process. If you want good advice on an attractive and well-built home with the best chance of standing up to the island elements, she is the one.”

    Tara Roberts-Blom

  • "Cate’s approach was completely client focused. She emphasized listening to what we wanted and used her expertise to create designs we were truly excited about. She provided us with the whole experience, delivering a design process with clear and timely communication and realistic expectations. We would definitely recommend Cate to anyone looking for a full-service architect.”

    Steven Pena

  • "Cate has designed a beautiful bay house for our family. Her approach is practical, innovative and on trend. She listened to our needs and incorporated all of them and more. We like that she lives and works on the island and is familiar with code requirements and can recommend experienced contractors for each step of the process. We cannot wait to see the finished product!”

    Natalie Synnott

  • "Cate Black has designed two homes for me, an elevated beach front on Bolivar Peninsula and elevated bay front in Sea Isle, Galveston. Cate listens to her clients to design unique homes tailored to the life styles of her clients that are innovative and refreshing. She is highly knowledgeable about complex rules and regulations of FEMA and Galveston County. She has enough practical experience to push back on clients when engineering and construction constrains make ideas impractical before getting into the engineering and building proposal stage. Similar she has real world experience with mold mitigation to design a building envelope suited for high humidity high wind and salt spray environments. I have previously used a renowned Destin Florida and Houston architect and found Cate’s approach was more client focused. I highly recommend Cate for your coastal dream home.”

    Robert Belt

  • "We hired Cate to bring our vision to life of adding on to our small 2 bed 1 bath house. Our family was growing and we needed more space. Cate was able to beautifully turn the house in to a 3 bed 2.5 bath + two porches. I was impressed with her ability to work in our ideas/requests while sticking to our budget. She brought great ideas to the table like how to take the existing space and make it more efficient. She also took the time to get to know our family and lifestyle so that she could give feedback on the practicality of some of our ideas. During the buildout phase, she was always on top of things and made sure every detail was correct. She stayed on top of the team to keep things moving, while giving us realistic expectations on timelines. If you are considering a new build or add on/remodel, definitely reach out to Cate!”

    Kelley Delesandri

  • "Cate listened carefully to us and designed exactly what we wanted (but weren't always able to articulate!). She made helpful suggestions and recommendations, and explained things clearly. Best of all, she followed up on everything quickly and without prompting. Cate has a friendly and professional problem-solving approach to projects, and is well-connected locally. She made all the difference in guiding our dream to reality!”

    Laura Borda

  • "Cate Black with the Cate Black Architecture Studio was very prompt in meeting with me regarding the City of Galveston's requests related to a permit application. After meeting with me, Cate assigned an employee to the job and quickly provided the needed drawings and information. I highly recommend this firm for your architectural needs.”

    Steve Frank | Red Light Coffee Roasters

  • "Cate is amazing! We own The Bienville Wine Bar and she took over our coding analysis and was able to expedite our Certificate of Occupancy with the City so that we could open on schedule! Cannot thank her enough!!”

    Jene Adler | The Bienville Wine Bar

  • "Ms. Black was very attentive and easy to work with; her experience paired with an intimate knowledge of the area and the specific problems related to the coastal climate made it possible to avoid problems that would otherwise have haunted our project. I would not hesitate to recimmend her wholeheatedly to anyone who intends to pursue new a construction or extensive renovation project in the Pirate's Cove area."

    Borje Andersson