What is Bishop’s Palace?
The Bishops Palace also known as Gresham’s Castle is an ornate Victorian-style house, located on Broadway and 14th street in the East End Historic District in Galveston. The home is considered to be one of the most significant Victorian style homes in the United States.
History of the Palace
The home was built from 1887 to 1893 by architect Nicholas J. Clayton. The house was built for Walter Gresham, who was a lawyer and politician, his wife Josephine and their 9 total children.
The mansion was built entirely by stone and was sturdy enough to survive the hurricane of 1900. The Gresham’s welcomed hundreds of storm survivors into their home.
The home has 4 total floors.
- The first floor is the raised basement where the kitchen was located. Now this floor contains the store.
- The second floor was where the dining room, pantry, library, coat closet and much more were located.
- The third floor contains the living room, the Bishops Bedroom, bathrooms and guest bedrooms.
- The 4th and final floor contains the boys room, Mrs. Gresham’s Art studio and extra storage.
At the time the home was worth 250,000 dollars. Now the mansion is worth over 5.5 million dollars.
Tour the Mansion
If you are one to appreciate history, architecture and historical craftsmanship or just like to tour model home from back in the day, this tour is for you.
- Basement to Attic Tours-$30: This tour offers you a look of areas in the home that are normally off limits
- Palace Audio Tours-$9-10: This audio tour allows visitors to see historical images, previously not on a hand-held screen
- Bishops Palace Late Night Tours-$30: This tour lets viewers see how the home looks different in the night skies
Note :TICKETS ARE NOT REFUNDABLE and pricing is subject to change. You can get tour hours and more information here.