1892 Bishop's Palace - June 1st, 2009
Bishop's Palace (AKA: Gresham's Castle) is at 1402 Broadway Avenue
Built 1887-1893 for Col. Gresham, his wife, and seven children
Designed by Galveston's premier architect, Nicholas Clayton
One of the 14 most representative Victorian structures in the US
This means no photos inside the building
The Lion of St. Mark, cast zinc griffin at the start of the stairway
Inside the ground floor entrance under the stairwell
Stripped out level after Hurricane Ike's flood
The kitchen lies beyond the sheetrock repair
Ike's floodwaters were 3 feet, 1900 storm's were 6 feet
French lantern converted to electricity
2nd floor balconies with walk-in breezeway windows
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston purchased the house in 1923 and it served as the residence for Bishop Christopher Byrne
Bishop Byrne converted a 3rd floor bedroom into a
chapel with ornate stained glass windows
The chapel (with dark windows) is just above the palm tree
The bishop lived here until his death in 1950
The diocese opened the mansion to the public in 1963 with proceeds helping fund the UT medical school's Newman Center
Side view from the Sacred Heart Catholic Church
A house directly across Broadway from the Bishop's Palace is ready for paint
The oak trees along Broadway are dying after Hurricane Ike's saltwater flood
Across 14th Street is the Bishop's 1904 Sacred Heart Catholic Church