1892 Bishop’s Palace

Impressive and ornate, Bishop's Palace (also known as Gresham's castle) is a beautiful Victorian-style home that you can tour.

Walter Gresham was a lawyer, politician, and entrepreneur.  He served in the Civil war, the Texas Legislature, and was a founder of the Gulf Colorado and the Santa Fe Railway. This castle was built between 1887 and 1893 for the Grisham family and was designed by architect Nicholas J. Clayton. Walter Gresham was married to Josephine, and they had 9 children. Josephine was a talented painter that painted murals as well as ceilings in the home. The castle is 3 stories over a raised basement.

The palace is made of stone, with 23-inch thick walls, strong enough to withstand the great hurricane of 1900 in which the family and their home sheltered many people during the storm. Later, the structure made it through Hurricane Ike with only some basement flooding. In 1923, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston bought the house, turning a large room into a chapel with stained glass windows. It was the residence for Bishop Christopher E. Byrne. The chapel was once one of the Gresham daughter's bedrooms. When the Diocese moved in, the windows were replaced with stained glass. An altar was added along with 6 prayer kneelers.

It has been open to the public since 1963 and is now owned by Galveston Historical Foundation. The building's interior is full of wooden floors, including rosewood, satinwood, white mahogany, American oak, and maple. The many fireplaces feature African marble and pure silver. Sienna marble columns in the entrance hall are magnificent, and the wrought iron railings inside are amazing.  Stained glass surrounds the 40-foot tall mahogany stairwell, and visitors of all ages can explore this historic home.