Bishop's Palace and Historic East End
December 14, 2020
Today we toured the beautiful Bishop's Palace
built by the Gresham family at an estimated cost of $250,000
from 1887-1893. It is estimated today to be worth $5.5 million.
The Catholic Diocese of Galveston-Houston bought the house in 1923,
and for many years it served as the seat of the local bishop.
"The three-story Châteauesque residence was designed by noted Galveston architect Nicholas J. Clayton. It is particularly notable for its exterior of sculpted granite, limestone, and sandstone and the elaborate carved woodwork on the interior. "
The Veruca Salt in me says
"I want this, I want it now, don't care how, I want it now!"
The front hall
The detail in this house captures you as soon as you see it.
Here you can see the incredible woodwork, floors, walls, ceiling.
The stained glass is from Germany. The chandelier is lilies.
Oh, please feel free to drop your calling card in the basket.
The curved staircase to the 2nd floor is at the end of the front hall.
Two stories tall with a domed ceiling 55 feet above our head,
3 stained glass windows, the one on the right is an interior window and lit by an electric light
a pulpit like rounded railing at the landing,
fireplace behind the Christmas tree is one of 11 in the house, gorgeous carved mahogany railings.
The dome was designed for natural lighting and for natural ventilation.
Step to your left and enter the front parlor,
Stained glass, gorgeous Mahogany woodwork,
a fireplace with mirror over the mantle which
reflects the library chandelier and
the walls were originally covered in gold damask fabric and
and murals in the corner.
In the front bay there is more stained glass
with a peacock inspired Christmas tree.
Come this way to the music room
Another fireplace, this one with the silver and onyx mantel
which claimed first prize at the 1886 New Orleans Exposition.
The ceiling has some decorative woodwork. A mural above the fireplace of cherubs,
painted by Mrs Gresham the original owner of the home.
The walls are an upholstered damask.
Two trees are decorated with musical instrument ornaments.
The woodwork is white mahogany with satinwood trim.
The mirror has our self-portrait if you look closely.
Across the hall in the front of the house is the library
Here the woodwork is black walnut with black walnut burl paneling,
a christmas tree graces the bay which has more stained glass,
the floor to ceiling windows are designed to be opened
for breeze and access to the porch.
Sr Mary Agnes, a Dominican nun, painted the murals
above the glass enclosed bookcases
The fireplace is Numidia marble from Algeria
and the mirror reflects the painted ceiling above.
The pocket doors are open
shall we go into the dining room now.
The wood in the dining room is oak.
The table seats 12, the ceiling mural above it was painted by Mrs Gresham,
another Christmas tree, lovely light fixture,
the bottom of the sideboard is nice
the top sits inside a domed wood carved wall,
just like in your house.
A smiling gent up on the ceiling by the plaster cove molding
All with the conservatory at the end, for some plants
or perhaps for musicians to play a concert.
The china is kept in the butler's pantry right next door,
and behind there is the warming kitchen
Food was prepared downstairs and then brought up
in a dumb-waiter located in the back hall.
The Cooper vent hood, tiles on the wall and the floor are all original.
Here is a coat closet, note the hooks
since it is in the back of the house it may be for the servants use.
The small sink is a Pullman sink,
just like the ones on the trains.
I think it is time to go upstairs
Isn't this staircase breathtaking.
A lion and some angels appear to be watching us.
The upstairs summer sitting room was used by the Greshams as
an informal sitting room. It was the coolest room in the summer because
of the breezes off the Gulf of Mexico.
It has a lovely view back at the stained glass in the stairwell.
The carved banister is beautiful.
The center stained glass is not original to the house, it was added in 1937.
When the Catholic church bought the house for the bishop's residence
they converted a bedroom upstairs into a chapel.
The stained glass,the most valuable in the house,
came from a company in Linnich,Germany.
The light over the dresser is the only remaining gas and electric
fixture in the house (gas on top, electric on bottom).
The portrait over the fireplace is a self-portrait by Mrs Gresham.
Both Mr and Mrs Gresham's rooms have access to the outdoor balconies.
Here you can see the back stairs to the third floor
through an interior window. This is one of
several interior windows, most are in closets to help with ventilation.
You can also see the corner of the interior right stained glass
that is in the front stairwell.
That's enough from the inside of this palace.
It's cloudy and about 50 degrees so let's go for a walk
in the Historic East End District
"On September 13th, 2008, Hurricane Ike covered most of the Island in a tidal surge. The damaging combination of powerful wind and waves immediately uprooted many trees, but ultimately the salty storm waters led to the demise of the thousands of others. Ike forced Galveston to say a sad goodbye to so much of its beautiful tree canopy. Months later sculpture artists breathed a second life into something Mother Nature attempted to destroy. Whimsical sculptures have replaced the majestic oaks that once lined many neighborhood streets and shaded homes."
Look who is being a good watch dog
Reminiscent of the front of a ship,
appropriate for this harbor town.
A geisha, no explanation why.
Egrets
and a squirrel.
We walked the area looking at gorgeous homes
decorated for Christmas.
And came back at nightfall to see them lit up
this is the Powell Arch in the Strand
we saw it earlier during the day
it is more spectacular lit up.
In between we went to Jimmy's on the Pier,
it has a very casual beach vibe.
Who can turn down crab cakes at happy hour prices,
not me. They were delicious along with spicy crab balls.
While in Houston the other day I picked up some new hiking boots.
Time to break them in now with a walk on the beach.
Catch you later.
That house looks more like a rook than a bishop.
ReplyDeleteLove the tour. Amazin woodwork and beautifully decorated Christmas trees. The nightime lights were lovely, I loved the one that had doors standing in the yard with wreaths on them. Great new boots for you too.
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