Bishop's Palace (Galveston, Texas)

	Bishop's Palace
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. National Historic Landmark District; Contributing Property
	U.S. Historic district; Contributing property
	Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
	Bishop's Palace in 1967
	Bishop's Palace Bishop's Palace
Location	1402 Broadway,; Galveston, Texas
Coordinates	29°18′17″N 94°46′55″W / 29.30472°N 94.78194°W
Area	0.4 acres (0.16 ha)
Built	1887-1892
Architect	Nicholas J. Clayton
Architectural style	Late Victorian, Eclectic
Website	1892 Bishop's Palace
Part of	East End Historic District (ID75001979)
NRHP reference No.	70000746
RTHL No.	139
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	August 25, 1970
Designated NHLDCP	May 11, 1976
Designated CP	May 30, 1975
Designated RTHL	1967

The Bishop's Palace, also known as Gresham's Castle, is an ornate 19,082 square feet (1,772.8 m²)^[2] Victorian-style house, located on Broadway and 14th Street in the East End Historic District of Galveston, Texas.

History

The house was built between 1887 and 1892 by Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton for lawyer and politician Walter Gresham, his wife Josephine, and their nine children.

Construction costs in 1892 are estimated at $250,000, while Clayton condensed many elaborate and eclectic design features onto a small homestead. Since Galveston experienced little population growth in the twentieth century, the high Victorian design of Bishop's Palace and other Clayton works from the 1890s characterize the town's architectural landscape.^[3]

The Gresham mansion was made all of stone, and was sturdy enough to withstand the great hurricane of 1900. The Greshams welcomed hundreds of survivors of the hurricane into their home.^[4]

In 1923 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston purchased the house, and, situated across the street from the Sacred Heart Church, it served as the residence for Bishop Christopher E. Byrne.^[5]^{[failed verification]} After the diocesan offices were moved to Houston, the diocese opened the mansion to the public in 1963, with proceeds from tours being used to help fund the UT medical school's Newman Center, which operated in the basement.

Bishop's Palace attained Recorded Texas Historic Landmark status in 1967. It was listed with the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and was added to the Galveston East End Historic District in 1975.^[6]

The house is now owned by the Galveston Historical Foundation and self-guided tours are available daily. A portion of each admission supports the preservation and restoration of the property.

The Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) acquired Bishop's Palace from the archdiocese in 2013 for $3 million. Most of the purchase price was funded by two large grants, one from the Moody Foundation for $1.5 million and the other from the Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund for $350,000.^[7] GHF started a multi-million dollar renovation of Bishop's Palace in 2020, including a restoration of roof to its original copper tile construction and a renovation of the conservatory.^[8]

Layout

Bishop's Palace has four floors. The raised basement which once housed the kitchen and servant's areas now contains the store. This basement is followed by three formal floors.

First floor

Entryway
Parlor
Music Room
Rotunda Staircase
Library/Office
Dining Room - Mrs. Gresham painted the fresco of cherubs on the ceiling.
Conservatory
Pantry
Kitchen - This room was originally just a warming kitchen, but Bishop Byrne expanded the room.
Servant's Vestibule - Contains the dumbwaiter and the servant's staircase.
Coat Closet - The coat closet is tucked around the back side of the rotunda staircase and contains a Pullman sink from the famed Pullman railcars.

Second floor

Living Room - The Gresham family often listened to music here during the hot summer months.
Bishop's Bedroom - This was originally a bedroom of one of the Gresham daughters, but Bishop Byrne chose it for his own with its private balcony and lighting. He converted the closet into a bathroom.
Chapel - This was also previously one of the Gresham daughter's bedrooms. When the Diocese moved in, the windows were replaced with stained-glass, and a fresco depicting the four gospel writers was painted on the ceiling. The room was also outfitted with an altar and six prayer kneelers.
Mr. Gresham's Room
Mrs. Gresham's Room
Bathroom - The tub in this bathroom is of note for its three spigots: one for hot, one cold, and one for rainwater.
Bedroom for guests or the children's governess.

Third floor

The boys' rooms
Mrs. Gresham's art studio
Additional storage

References

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
^ West, Allyn (June 11, 2013). "UNLOADING GALVESTON'S BISHOP'S PALACE". Swamplot.com. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
^ McComb (1986), p. 99.
^ Teague, Wells (2000). Calling Texas Home: A Lively Look at What It Means to Be a Texan, p. 96. Wildcat Canyon Press.
^ McComb, David G. (2002). Galveston: A History, p. 65. University of Texas Press.
^ Long, Christopher (July 15, 2016). "Bishop's Palace". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
^ Rice, Harvey (July 24, 2013). "Galveston foundation buys Bishop's Palace". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
^ Hennes, Rebecca (February 21, 2020). "Galveston Island's beloved 1892 Bishop's Palace undergoing renovations". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2024.

Bibliography

Barnstone, Howard (1993). The Galveston that Was (Annotated reprint ed.). Houston: Rice University Press. ISBN 978-0890968871.
Beasley, Ellen; Fox, Stephen (1996). Galveston Architectural Guidebook. Houston: Rice University Press. ISBN 0-89263-345-X.
McComb, David G. (1986). Galveston: A History. Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-72053-4.
Teague, Wells (2000). Calling Texas Home: A Lively Look at What It Means to Be a Texan. Berkeley, CA: Wildcat Canyon Press. ISBN 1-885171-38-2.

External links

"1892 Bishop's Palace". Galveston History. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
Long, Christopher (June 12, 2010). "Bishop's Palace". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
Early 20th century photographic postcards of Texas buildings at the University of Houston Digital Library
Bishop's Palace Galveston's Grandest Home \\ I on Oklahoma Magazine^{[dead link]}

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.

[2] West, Allyn (June 11, 2013). "UNLOADING GALVESTON'S BISHOP'S PALACE". Swamplot.com. Retrieved March 20, 2015.

[3] McComb (1986), p. 99.

[4] Teague, Wells (2000). Calling Texas Home: A Lively Look at What It Means to Be a Texan, p. 96. Wildcat Canyon Press.

[5] McComb, David G. (2002). Galveston: A History, p. 65. University of Texas Press.

[6] Long, Christopher (July 15, 2016). "Bishop's Palace". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved November 10, 2024.

[7] Rice, Harvey (July 24, 2013). "Galveston foundation buys Bishop's Palace". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2024.

[8] Hennes, Rebecca (February 21, 2020). "Galveston Island's beloved 1892 Bishop's Palace undergoing renovations". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2024.

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v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston
Ordinaries	Prefect Apostolic of Texas John Timon Vicar Apostolic of Texas Jean-Marie Odin Bishops of Galveston Jean-Marie Odin Claude Marie Dubuis Nicolaus Aloysius Gallagher Christopher Edward Byrne Wendelin Joseph Nold Coadjutor bishop (did not succeed to the See) Pierre Dufal Bishops of Galveston–Houston Wendelin Joseph Nold John Louis Morkovsky Archbishops of Galveston–Houston Joseph Fiorenza Daniel DiNardo Auxiliaries John E. McCarthy Enrique San Pedro Curtis J. Guillory James Anthony Tamayo Vincent M. Rizzotto Joe S. Vásquez George Sheltz Italo Dell’Oro Priests who became bishops John E. McCarthy Priests Ryan Stawaisz David Michael Moses
Churches	Co-cathedrals St. Mary Cathedral Basilica, Galveston (Bishop's Palace, Galveston) Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Houston Historic parishes All Saints Church, Houston Annunciation Church, Houston Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Houston Our Mother of Mercy Church, Houston St. Joseph's Church, Galveston
Education	Universities Our Lady of the Lake University, Houston University of St. Thomas, Houston High schools, K-12 Duchesne Academy, Houston High schools, 9-12 Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory of Houston Frassati Catholic High School, Harris County (Spring area) Incarnate Word Academy, Houston O'Connell College Preparatory School, Galveston Pope John XXIII High School, Harris County (Katy area) Saint Agnes Academy, Houston St. Pius X High School, Houston St. Thomas High School, Houston Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, Houston List of schools List of schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston
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