Texas mansions are legends in limestone, red brick, and wrought iron, standing as monuments to cattle barons, oil tycoons, and one or two wayward artists. Each of these estates tells a story with a flair unique to Texas. From the Greek Revival Governor’s Mansion in Austin, which has housed governors since Sam Houston swaggered into office, to Galveston’s Bishop’s Palace, which looks as if it sprouted up from a Victorian fever dream, Texas homes make statements. They’re all power, confidence, and a smattering of influences, from European imports to Southern antebellum traditions. These mansions were shaped by Texas history, and you can see it in their bones. Together, these mansions form a map of Texas history in architectural styles.
15. Idle Hours (Beaumont)
Idle Hours Mansion in Beaumont doesn’t do subtlety. Built in 1903 by lumber tycoon W.P.H. McFaddin, his mansion wears its Southern Colonial style like a declaration: massive columns, sprawling porches, and enough space to host a ball or two. McFaddin clearly wanted a symbol of status, one that could outshine the rest of Beaumont. Idle Hours is packed with the heavy elegance of the Gilded Age: mahogany paneling, velvet curtains, and chandeliers hanging like trophies. The mansion’s high ceilings and spacious rooms were built for grandeur, not cozy living. Idle Hours stands as a reminder of the turn-of-the-century oil boom that turned Beaumont into a playground for Texas’s wealthiest.
14. Neill-Cochran House (Austin)
The Neill-Cochran House in Austin has seen more of Texas’s ups and downs than most of its politicians. Built in 1855 by enslaved laborers for Washington Hill, a cotton magnate, this Greek Revival mansion is a stoic beauty in a city that was just figuring out what it wanted to be. Massive Doric columns greet you at the entrance and inside you’ll find wide, high-ceilinged rooms with original woodwork, a testament to craftsmanship from a different era. During the Civil War, it served as a military hospital, then a school for the blind, and later as home to a revolving cast of influential Texans. When Judge Thomas Neill and his family took over in the 1890s, the house settled into its role as a private residence, but the walls were already saturated with history. Now a museum, the Neill-Cochran House remains a tribute to Austin’s early ambitions and evolving identity.
13. The Elisabet Ney Museum (Austin)
The Elisabet Ney House in Austin is part studio, part fortress, and all eccentricity. Built in 1892 by German sculptor Elisabet Ney, this limestone structure was her artistic sanctuary. She was known as a rebellious spirit, a streak that’s evident in every inch of this house. Ney went for a Greek Revival style but pared it down, keeping the focus on high ceilings and large, open spaces that let in floods of light. The studio itself is spartan, with tools and unfinished statues. The simplicity of the design makes it clear that this was a place for serious work, not frills. Today, the house is the Elisabet Ney Museum, preserving the artist’s life and legacy. It’s not grand or gaudy, but it’s unforgettable with its refusal to never blend in.
12. Pompeiian Villa (Port Arthur)
The Pompeiian Villa in Port Arthur is a Texas oddity if there ever was one — an Italianate fantasy plopped down in the middle of an oil town. Built in 1900 by wealthy businessman Isaac Ellwood, it’s an homage to his fascination with ancient Rome. Modeled after the villas of Pompeii, it features red-tile roofs, columned porticos, and frescoes. Inside, the villa continues the theme with marble floors, intricate mosaics, and wall paintings that lean hard into Ellwood’s Roman obsession.
11. Eddleman-McFarland House (Fort Worth)
The Eddleman-McFarland House in Fort Worth is about as close to a time machine as you’ll find in Texas. Built in 1899 by cattleman William Eddleman, the Victorian house wears its Queen Anne-style like a starched collar: red brick exterior with limestone trim and turrets rising from the roof. Heavy wood paneling, parquet floors, and stained glass frame every room. The dining room features intricate woodwork and ornate chandeliers. After Eddleman, the McFarland family took over, maintaining the house’s prestige in Fort Worth society. Now a historic landmark, it’s one of the last standing mansions from the city’s early elite.
10. McFaddin-Ward House (Beaumont)
The McFaddin-Ward House is a Beaux-Arts beauty built in 1906 at the height of Beaumont’s oil boom. W.P.H. McFaddin, rancher turned oil tycoon, wanted a house that could hold its own against the mansions of Dallas and Houston, and he nailed it. With its stately Georgian Revival style, complete with a grand columned portico and wraparound porch, the McFaddin-Ward House wears its grandeur well. The rooms are spacious and richly decorated, flowing from parlors to dining rooms that hosted everyone from local politicians to visiting oilmen. The McFaddins setting a standard for luxury in a town riding high on black gold. Now a museum, the McFaddin-Ward House preserves this slice of Texas history, showcasing original furnishings, fine china, and the lifestyles of Beaumont’s elite.
9. Goodman-LeGrand House (Tyler)
The Goodman-LeGrand House in Tyler is a Southern belle with a Texas accent. Built in 1859, the Greek Revival residence started modest, but after Dr. Samuel Goodman took ownership in 1866, it began its transformation into the showpiece it is now. Over time, the Goodman family added wings, verandas, and an overall Victorian flair that turned the house into a sprawling statement piece. Every room holds relics from the family’s travels, from antique furniture to ornate knick-knacks. By 1939, Sallie Goodman LeGrand, the last family resident, bequeathed the house to the city, preserving its collection of family artifacts.
8. Thistle Hill (Fort Worth)
Thistle Hill, a 1903 Georgian Revival mansion, is a Fort Worth staple built by wealthy rancher Winfield Scott for his daughter. Also known as the Wharton-Scott House, this 18-room mansion brings a touch of East Coast elegance to Texas, with grand staircases, fireplaces in nearly every room, and lush, manicured gardens. The Scott family spared no expense, importing materials and furnishings that make the mansion feel more Newport than Fort Worth. After changing hands and surviving near-demolition, Thistle Hill became one of Fort Worth’s most treasured landmarks.
7. Thomas M. O’Connor House (Victoria)
The Thomas M. O’Connor House in Victoria, Texas, is a rancher’s palace wrapped in Victorian sensibility. Built in the 1880s, it’s as solid as they come, a testament to the wealth and grit of Thomas M. O’Connor, a cattle baron who turned Texas pastureland into a fortune. Wraparound porches encircle the house, while tall, arched windows and gabled roofs add a touch of elegance to an otherwise staid structure. The interior features polished wood floors, a grand staircase, and chandeliers. Over the years, the O’Connor House became a gathering place for prominent families and politicians, blending high society with hardworking roots.
6. Laguna Gloria (Austin)
Laguna Gloria is a slice of the Italian Riviera tucked into the heart of Austin. Built in 1916 by philanthropist Clara Driscoll, this Mediterranean-style villa sits on a twelve-acre estate overlooking Lake Austin. Driscoll, a champion of Texas heritage and arts, modeled Laguna Gloria after villas she admired on her travels through Italy, complete with stucco walls, terracotta roof tiles, and archways that frame views of the lake. The house is elegant yet understated, with marble floors, wooden beams, and tall windows that let the sun pour in. Outside, winding paths lead through cypress and oak trees, past fountains and sculptures that Driscoll collected, giving the grounds a quiet, cultivated feel. Now part of the Contemporary Austin art museum, Laguna Gloria remains a haven for art and culture lovers.
5. Texas Governor’s Mansion (Austin)
The Texas Governor’s Mansion is the grand old dame of Austin real estate, standing since 1856 and holding the title of the oldest continuously occupied governor’s residence west of the Mississippi. Built in Greek Revival style by Abner Cook, it’s a Texas classic with white columns, wide porches, and a stately charm . Every governor since Sam Houston has called it home, shaping state history over morning coffee and late-night strategy sessions in its wood-paneled rooms. High ceilings, hardwood floors, and antique furnishings fill the rooms, alongside portraits of former governors. Though an arson fire nearly destroyed the structure in 2008, a meticulous restoration brought the Governor’s Mansion back to its former glory.
4. Moody Mansion (Galveston)
The Moody Mansion in Galveston is Gilded Age Texas at its most unapologetically grand. Built in 1895, this 31-room Romanesque Revival mansion was designed for a cotton magnate, but it was the Moody family—bankers, ranchers, and insurance tycoons—who turned it into a symbol of Texas high society. With its red brick façade, arched windows, and turreted roofline, the mansion looks like something straight out of a Southern Gothic novel, dropped right onto Broadway Avenue. Inside, Moody Mansion doesn’t hold back. The rooms are dripping with dark wood paneling, Tiffany glass, and hand-painted frescoes that scream turn-of-the-century opulence. The grand staircase alone, a swirling structure of carved wood, seems designed for dramatic entrances. Each room has a theme, from the Moorish-inspired library to the Art Nouveau sitting rooms, like they couldn’t settle for one style and decided to throw them all in for good measure. After Hurricane Ike nearly took it out, the mansion was meticulously restored, preserving the Moody family’s original furnishings and décor. Today, the house is a museum, offering a glimpse into the lives of one of Texas’s wealthiest families. It’s a tribute to ambition, resilience, and the kind of Texas flair that doesn’t do subtle.
3. Bishop’s Palace (Galveston)
Bishop’s Palace in Galveston is a Victorian fever dream come to life. Built in 1892 for Colonel Walter Gresham, a lawyer and railroad magnate, this mansion is part Gothic, part Renaissance, and a dash of Moorish influence. The exterior boasts turrets, gargoyles, and colored stone all stacked up like a medieval fortress that. The grand foyer opens up with a mahogany staircase that curls its way up three stories, framed by stained glass windows. The walls feature intricately carved wood and decorative plasterwork, each room offering its own style from Italian marble fireplaces to gilded ceilings. Eventually purchased by the Catholic Diocese of Galveston and used as the bishop’s residence, the palace got its nickname, though it’s anything but a typical church property. Surviving the 1900 hurricane Bishop’s Palace is a testament to Galveston’s resilience on the Gulf Coast.
2. Bayou Bend (Houston)
Bayou Bend in Houston is as close to an American palace as Texas gets. Built in 1927 by philanthropist and arts patron Ima Hogg, this 14-acre estate is a mash-up of Georgian and Colonial Revival styles. The house itself feels regal but welcoming, with sprawling verandas and tall windows that open out to manicured gardens. Inside, Bayou Bend is an homage to early American style: mahogany furnishings, original Chippendale chairs, and period artwork. Each room is themed by era, giving you a tour through American history without leaving the foyer. The gardens, lush with magnolias and live oaks, are a work of art on their own, with paths that wind through sculpture-filled courtyards and fountains. Now a branch of the Museum of Fine Arts, Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens remains a cultural treasure, a blend of sophistication and Lone Star charm.
1. Edward Steves Homestead (San Antonio)
Built in 1876 by Edward Steves, a German immigrant turned lumber baron, this mansion is a striking example of French Second Empire style, complete with a mansard roof and limestone walls that glow under the Texas sun. Inside, the homestead is decked out in Victorian splendor. High ceilings, elaborate woodwork, and marble fireplaces create an air of Old World charm. The parlor features intricate moldings and chandeliers. Today, the Edward Steves Homestead stands as a museum, a time capsule of San Antonio’s gilded age.
