Gresham's Castle, also known as the Bishop's Palace, packs 19,082 square feet of ornate Victorian‑style house onto the corner of Broadway and 14th Street in Galveston's East End Historic District. The building you see was designed by Nicholas J. Clayton for Walter Gresham and completed in 1892. It was built between 1887 and 1892 for lawyer and politician Walter Gresham, his wife Josephine, and their nine children.
Construction costs in 1892 are estimated at $250,000, and Clayton is remembered for condensing many elaborate and eclectic design features onto this relatively small homestead. Because Galveston experienced little population growth in the twentieth century, the high Victorian design of the Bishop's Palace and other Clayton works from the 1890s helps define the town’s architectural landscape. The Archdiocese of Galveston purchased the property in 1923 and used it as its headquarters for four decades, after which it was opened for tours.
In 2013 the Galveston Historical Foundation acquired the property, and as of 2024 GHF continues to maintain the house and keep it open for public tours. Walter Gresham, Josephine, and their nine children once filled these rooms, and the façade Clayton gave them still faces Broadway and 14th Street.