Galveston Historical Foundation Offers Special Basement to Attic Tour of Bishop's Palace Once Every Month

"From Basement to Attic: A Behind the Scenes Look at the 1892 Bishop's Palace" is a once-a-month tour that allows visitors to view parts of the famous mansion that are normally off limits. Tours are offered the third Saturday of every month at 4 p.m.

The new tour was first offered as part of the 2009 Galveston Historic Homes Tour the first two weekends in May. It was such success that GHF has decided to offer the tour once a month from now on—every third Saturday at 4 p.m. The behind the scenes tour lasts two hours and costs $30 per person. Space is limited; reservations are recommended. Reservations can be made by calling 409-762-2475.

Must be able to negotiate stairs. Proper footwear required. No flip flops please, and all sandals must have straps.

Bishop’s Palace, Galveston’s most visited historic attraction, is located at 1402 Broadway. Regular Tours at $10 for adults and $7 for students, are offered daily, on the hour, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Labor Day through Memorial Day, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Memorial Day to Labor Day.

“Basement to Attic” guests of Bishop’s Palace will get to peek into nearly every nook and cranny of this famous house--areas that are usually closed to the public. “Basement to Attic” remaining tour dates for 2009 are October 17, November 21, and December 19.

Bishop’s Palace is one of the best known and most widely recognized historic attractions in the country. It is listed by the U. S. Department of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark, and has been named by the American Institute of Architects as the 14th most important Victorian building in America.

The house was built from 1887 to 1892 for Colonel Walter Gresham and his wife Josephine, with whom he had nine children. In Galveston’s great period of mansion building--the 1870s, ‘80s and ‘90s--Gresham’s commission of Nicholas Clayton, Galveston’s premier architect, resulted in Clayton’s most spectacular residential design and arguably the finest of the “Broadway beauties.”

Constructed of steel and stone, the Bishop's Palace soars three stories over a raised basement level, with steep roofs and long sculptural chimneys. The building is classified as "Chateauesque," a derivative of the French revival style popular in the last quarter of the 19th century. It has many distinctive touches, ranging from varicolored stone to round Romanesque and depressed Tudor arches. Its facade features highly articulated carvings of plants, animals, people and other creatures.

The nearly 21,000 square feet of interiors are as lavish, with rare woods and ornate and idiosyncratic details. The front parlor boasts a large fireplace mantel made of Santo Domingo mahogany. In the adjoining music room is a mantel made of onyx, pewter and silver.