15 100-Year-Old Houses That Haven't Aged a Day

By the ornate, Victorian-style stone exterior, you might never guess that this mansion resides on the gulf coast of the Lone Star State. The 19,082-square-feet, four-floor home, built between 1887 and 1903, once housed Bishop Christopher Byrne before the diocese offices were closed and the edifice was immortalized as a historic home in Galveston's East End Historic District.

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Formerly the home of activist Molly Brown, who survived the sinking of the Titanic, this Denver dwelling has likewise survived its 135-year-old history and lives to tell the tale. Dating to the 1880s, Brown's residence has since been converted into a museum filled with unmissable exhibits that illustrate Brown's life in Victorian-era Denver.

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What would the founding fathers think of this still-standing historic mansion? George Mason, one of the all-important delegates to the U.S. Constitutional Convention, admired Gunston Hall enough to make it his family residence. Built in 1759, the Georgian-style home boasts private and public rooms, an ornate parlor, and pocket-shuttered windows that afford stunning views of the Potomac River.

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"Go big, then go home" seems to be the philosophy behind this palatial property in Kansas City, built in 1914 for lumber magnate Mack B. Nelson. The sixteen bedrooms, eight baths, pool house, and basketball court of the 14,661-square-foot abode are all built around a central atrium. Lit by a movable skylight, the grand home is sure to leave visitors starstruck for days.

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Built in 1874, this Hartford home has its distinguished former residents to thank for its storied past. Literary luminary Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, once occupied the Gothic-style house along with his family. Today, bookworms and architecture buffs can admire the East Indian motifs in the drawing room, the elegantly embossed dining room, and—of course!—the library.

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Nestled in historic New England is a stately mansion-turned-museum once occupied by Stephen W. Phillips, a millionaire and prominent member of Salem's elite. Dubbed the Stephen Phillips House, the 1799 mansion boasts a well-preserved kitchen, pantry, and bedrooms adorned with Hawaiian and Polynesian souvenirs, Persian carpets, and imported porcelain, all hidden behind an elegant Georgian facade.

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Despite its moniker as "Meek Mansion," this historic Victorian home in California is an imposing structure to behold, containing between 23 and 27 rooms between the residence and carriage house. The former resident of the palatial abode, one William Meek, was no shy violet himself. Meek built the home in 1869, and later acquired 3,000 acres of nearby land and planted it with enough cherry trees to earn the community's name of Cherryland.

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Famed statesman and planter Henry Clay was lucky enough to call this timeless Kentucky treasure his family home. Today the Federal-style mansion, built in 1811 and boasting 18 grand rooms, is a National Historic Landmark.

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While Harley Clarke Mansion has at various times in its history served as a private residence, a fraternity headquarters, and a venue for local arts, it has never lost its original elegance or intrigue. The ninety-year-old French-Eclectic lakefront property, formerly the home of a local executive Harley Clarke, has had such an enchanting effect on Evanstonians that the city recently decided to open its historic doors to the public again.

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Discover and admire beautiful and innovative home architecture, from grand Victorians to quaint cabins and all the styles in between. Take a look at the latest images and inspiration!