Bishop's Palace is the grandest Victorian mansion in Texas and one of the most elaborate late-19th-century houses in the country. Designed by architect Nicholas Clayton for attorney Walter Gresham in 1887–1892, it rises four stories in a riot of pink granite, limestone, and sandstone, with turrets, wraparound verandas, and enough carved ornamental detail to occupy a close examination for an hour. It survived the 1900 hurricane largely intact and has been open to the public since the 1960s.
Tours of the interior reveal rooms fitted out in oak, mahogany, and satinwood, with original fireplaces, stained-glass windows, and period furnishings. The circular tower rooms are particularly striking. The building sits on Broadway at the edge of the East End Historic District, where several other well-preserved mansions can be seen on a walk south toward the Seawall. Budget at least an hour for the tour; the guides are knowledgeable about both the building and the families who lived in it.