Houston Historic Walk

St. John Church

Located at the Sam Houston Park Established 1891, Gothic Revival Park Designation Date: 2007-02-07* The 1891 St. John Church was built by German farmers in northwest Harris County for their Evangelical Lutheran congregation. The church is a vernacular interpretation of the Gothic Revival style of architecture from the 19th century. Elements of the Gothic Revival style are evident in the church’s arched windows and shutters. The structure was moved from its original site on Mangum Road to Sam Houston Park in 1968. The handmade cypress plank pews in the interior attest to the “can do” spirit that built this elegantly simple place of worship. Info: 713-568-9190; Enter '5'.

Discover the eight historic structures dating from 1823 to 1905 in the Sam Houston Park.

Houston City Hall

900 Bagby St, Hosuton, TX 77002 Hermann Square Park (900 Smith St.) -  houstontx.gov  Established in 1939; Art Deco Designation Date: 2005-08-17* National Register of Historic Places: 1990-09-18* Designed by Joseph Finger, one of Houston's premier architects, City Hall was constructed in 1939 with solidly, massed blocks are faced with Texas Cordova shell limestone, a favorite "regional" material for Texas public buildings in the 1930s and 1940s. The allegorical sculpture is by Herring Coe and Raoul Josset; Finger's office detailed the aluminum screens above the principal entrances. The entrance lobby is colorfully finished with marble, nickel, and decorative plaster relief work. Houston was founded by Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen. Financed by an inheritance received by Augustus's wife, Charlotte, on August 26, 1836, the Allen brothers purchased 6,600 acres along the Buffalo Bayou for $5,000, for the purpose of establishing a new city. At the suggestion of Charlotte, they named their townsite for the hero of the time, General Sam Houston. Joseph Finger, who designed the City Hall structure over 75 years ago, had planned on incorporating two statues of Houston's founding fathers, the Allen brothers, to the front terrace of the building but the city ran short of funds. Two 5-foot-5-inch bronze statues of the brothers were finally installed on November 20, 2015, at the entrance to City Hall, designed by Houston artist Lori Betz. You are welcome to visit the inside of the Houston City Hall during office hours. Please have your pictured ID ready.

Source © COH - HAHC, 2005.

Julia Ideson Building at the Houston Public Library

550 McKinney St, Houston, TX 77002 -  houstonlibrary.org  |  Julia Ideson Building  Houston Metropolitan Research Center Established in 1926; Spanish Renaissance Revival style Designated Date: 2005-08-17* National Register of Historical Places: 1977-11-23* Julia Bedford Ideson, hired in 1903 was the city's first librarian. Details of the Spanish Renaissance Revival style building include the tile roof, arched openings, cast stone window surrounds, finials lining the parapet wall and ornate metalwork. The L-shaped building's materials are primarily brick, cast stone and limestone. After more than 40 years as Houston's libarian, Ideson died in 1945 and the library was renamed (1951) in honor for her contributions to Houston's library program, as well as her involvement in numerous civic group and professional associations. Note: Enter at the entrance at 550 McKinney and walk up to the third floor and notice the colorful wooden architectural details, the turquoise frieze with the golden edged medallions, and the marble columns in the interior of the building. Open during office hours. A Must See. The building served the City of Houston as its central library until the opening of the adjacent Jesse Jones building in 1976. The Houston Metropolitan Research Center is located at the Ideson Library since 1976. Because of the outgrown of archival collections with the space available and the requirement of more sophisticated climate and humidity control, and appropriate storage facilities, the need to build a new archival wing for the Center was addressed. The capital campaign was launched in Oct. 2007 to enhance and restore the historic building and raised $32 million by Oct. 2010. The new wing was completed in 2010 and the HMRC's archival collections moved from the original building to the wing, re-opened to the public on April 5, 2010. This is the original architectural plans -- the west wing that was never completed due to lack of funds after the Great Depression. Vivid today is the restoration of the original building was also completed in December 2011 a part of the enhance and restoration project. Source © COH - HAHC, 2005

Tranquillity Park

Tranquillity Park (1979) -- located within Smith, Rusk, Bagby & Walker was built as a monument to manned spaceflight and Houston’s place in the history of that effort, and nowhere is that theme more effective than in One Step for Mankind, an etched metal image of an Apollo astronaut set in a wall of Tranquillity Park. The shiny silver image is offset by black granite plaques on both sides of it. Tranquillity Park takes its name, notably differing in spelling, from the Sea of Tranquility, where man first landed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. It was officially dedicated on the tenth anniversary of the historic lunar landing, opened in summer 1979. On bronze plaques placed along the main entrance, the first words transmitted by Neil Armstrong from the moon, "Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed," are written in 15 languages. A replica of one of the footprints left on the moon by Neil Armstrong is also on display inside the park. A two-block-long oasis of water and walkways, the mounds and depressions throughout the park are meant to represent the cratered lunar surface, and the park's 32-level Wortham Fountain features towering stainless-steel cylinders designed to resemble the Apollo's rocket boosters. In the northern part of the park, (Brazos, Capitol & Rusk) a smaller park across the street, there are two memorials, one for each shuttle disaster. Source © COH - HAHC, 2025.

Little Tranquillity Park

The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Monument The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Monument pay tribute to the celebrated late president from Texas who had been a young Houston high school teacher. The monument in Little Tranquility Park at Bagby and Capitol streets features an 8-foot bronze sculpture of LBJ, created by renowned American artist Chas Fagan, surrounded by a semicircular wall featuring important quotations from Johnson’s presidency during the turbulent 1960s. In a somber connection to Johnson’s legacy, the park contains magnolia trees planted in memoriam to the astronauts killed in the two Space Shuttle disasters, Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003. Johnson ensured that NASA’s Manned Space Center would be in Houston. It was named the Johnson Space Center in 1973 in memory of LBJ. Source © COH - HAHC, 2022.

Theater District

Walk along Smith St, make a right on Texas Ave., you will be passing the Theater District: • Jones Hall • Wortham Center • Houston Ballet • The Meredith J. Long Theatre Center (Alley Theater) • Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts

Make a left (Milam St) as you past the historic Lancaster Hotel to the Main Street Market Square District. Continue walking along Milam St. to the Market Square Park (2 blocks away).

Texas Avenue

Texas Avenue has much historical significance to Houston's history. Many of the historical building reside on Texas Ave, all the way to the ballpark. The former Capitol Building of the Republic of Texas was located on the corner of Main St., the site of the Rice Hotel (now Rice Urban Lofts) completed in 1913. To learn more about the building and the site, go to Landmark No. 15, Rice Hotel. Note: The old Capitol building was operated as a hotel until it was torn down and replaced by a five-story hotel around 1881.

The Meredith J. Long Theatre Center

The Meredith J. Long Theatre Center aka Alley Theatre 615 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77002 Established 1968, New Brutalist style Designation Date: 2014 The Alley Theatre was founded in 1947 by Nina Vance (1914-1980), one of the most outstanding theatrical directors in the U.S. and Texas in the mid twentieth century. The Alley is now one of the oldest non-profit, professional, resident theater companies in continuous operation in the United States. From its inception, the Alley Theatre staged productions in an “arena” or “in the round” spatial format, a practice associated with cutting-edge theatrical companies in the mid-twentieth-century period. In the Alley’s first season (1947-48), performances were held in a dance studio on Main Street. Audience members had to walk along a narrow outdoor passage to get to the performance space; this passage was the origin of the Alley’s name. In 1962, the Alley Theatre was given a half-block site in the 600 block of Texas Avenue by Houston Endowment and a $2 million grant from the Ford Foundation for a new building and operating expenses. The theater was to be part of a downtown performance and convention complex including Jones Hall, the home of the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, and Society for the Performing Arts. The Alley Theatre opened on Texas Avenue in 1968. The new building was designed by New York architect Ulrich Franzen, in collaboration with theatrical consultant George C. Izenour and acoustical consultants Bolt, Beranek & Newman. Franzen (1921-2012) was known for his fortress-like buildings in the New Brutalist style, of which the Alley is a prime example. On June 28, 2022, the Alley Theatre building was changed to the Meredith J. Long Theatre Center, in honor of the late, influential Houston art dealer and philanthropist who served as the theater’s longtime chairman. Meredith J. Long served on the Alley's board for 31 years before passing away in June 2020. Source © COH - HAHC, 2014.

Lancaster Hotel

Lancaster Hotel (Auditorium Hotel) 701 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77002 Established 1926, Italian Renaissance style Texas Historic Landmark: 1984 The Auditorium Hotel was built for Houston investor Michele DeGrorge (1850-1927), who came to the United States from Italy in 1881. Designed by architect Joseph Finger (1887-1953), the building features Italian Renaissance detailing in the upper stories.

Make a left (Milam St) as you past the historic Lancaster Hotel to the Main Street Market Square District. Continue walking along Milam St. to the Market Square Park (2 blocks away). Source © COH - HAHC, 2025.

Market Square Park

The Main Street/Market Square Historic District 301 Milam St, Houston, TX 77002 Established 1854. Historic District: 1997. National Register of Historic Places: 1983. Market Square Park is located at the Main Street/Market Square Historic District. Through the first century of its existence, Houston revolved around Market Square, bounded by the streets Preston, Milam, Travis, and Congress. The square was donated to the city in 1854 by Augustus Allen and was used as an open-air produce market, and the downtown business district grew up around it. Early city landmarks in the neighborhood included the briefly used Texas Capitol and White House, now long-gone, and several City Halls rose and fell at Market Square. Two were brought down by fire and the final one was demolished in the ‘60’s, long after the City had moved its offices to the 1938 Art Deco City Hall at Hermann Square.

Source © COH - HAHC, 2025.

Market Square Clock

301 Travis St, Houston, TX 77002 The Louis and Annie Friedman Clock Tower Old Market Square, National Register of Historic Places: 1983 In 1996, the Market Square Clock was returned to use as a Houston landmark. An elegant new tower was constructed to house it, and now its 4 faces look out on the city once more. The 65-foot tower was paid for by Saul and Elaine Friedman, in honor of his parents, immigrants from Hungary. The parcel of ground it stands on, directly across from Market Square at the corner of Travis and Congress Streets, was sold to the City for $10.00 by Kenneth B. Meyer. The clock cost the City $1100 when it was originally bought for the 1904 City Hall. It is teamed in the new tower with a 2800-lb fire bell that survived the 1903 City Hall fire which prompted the construction of the 1904 building. Its 4 faces are 7 ½ feet across, and it is wound up every 8 days.

Source © COH - HAHC, 2025.

Travis Street Landmarks

Location of these six (6) historical Landmarks on Travis Street place a significance role because of the area surrounding the original market square, a place of early trades. The best evidence is the historical Kennedy Bakery Building/La Carafe build in 1861 with the narrow, two-story building, one of the three oldest buildings in downtown Houston and the only one that has not undergone significant alteration. 1. Houston Cotton Exchange and Board of Trade, 202 Travis St, Est. 1884-85 2. Hermann Estate Building, 204 Travis St, Est. 1917 3. W.L. Foley Dry Goods Building, 214 Travis St, Est. 1860 4. Kennedy Bakery Building/La Carafe, 813 Congress Ave, 1861 5. Fox-Kuhlman Building, 305-307 Travis St, Est. 1866 6. Baker-Meyer Building, 313-315 Travis St, Est. 1870

More details of these landmarks are described in the next map, "Travis Street Landmarks (Market Square)" - click on the above Menu . When you are done, return to this spot, and we will continue with the tour ..

Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks Building

Walking Towards Main Street: 301 Main St. Houston, TX 77002 (present: Fabian's Latin Flavors) Established 1889, Late-Victorian, Queen Anne style Designation Date: 1996-10-23* National Register of Historic Places: 1974-06-20* The Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks Building is the only remaining example of a Queen Anne style, commercial building with corner turret. The turret, the building's most distinguished characteristic, features a decorative Eastlake ornamentation and a diamond patterned, copper roof topped with wrought iron cresting. Stained-glass transoms, pilasters, string courses and decorative panels, moldings and friezes ornament the building with a Victorian-era exuberance. This late-Victorian 3-story commercial corner turret was designed by George E. Dickey. Source © COH - HAHC, 1996

Rice Hotel

917 Texas Ave. at 518 Main St, Houston Site of first Capitol of the Republic of Texas from 1837-1839 & 1842 Designation Date: 1997-07-23* National Register of Historic Places: 1978-06-23* Capitol Building of the Republic of Texas, 1837-1839, and 1842-1845. When Augustus Allen and John Kirby Allen commissioned the first survey of Houston in the fall of 1836, they made plans to set aside property for use by the Republic of Texas. Eventually they chose property on the south side of Texas Avenue between Travis and Main Street. They also agreed to construct a capitol building for the Texas government and leased the building on easy terms. Republic of Texas used this as its capitol building from 1837 to 1839, and again from 1842 to 1845. After the Texas government left Houston again, Augustus Allen resumed leasing the building to various hotel operators. In 1841, Mr. M. Norwood leased the building from the Allen Brothers, and ran it as the Capitol Hotel. R.S. Blount bought the property in 1857. There were various hotel operators between 1857 and 1881 with a few name changes (Houston House and Barnes House). The old Capitol building was operated as a hotel until it was torn down and replaced by a five-story hotel around 1881. Source © COH - HAHC, 1997.

Christ Church Cathedral Complex

1117 Texas Ave. Houston, TX 77002 Established 1839; Late Gothic Revival Designation Date: 2007-07-23* National Register of Historic Places: 1979-06-15* Christ Church Cathedral was Houston’s first religious congregation and is the only one still worshiping on its original site from the days when Houston was the capital of the Republic of Texas. The congregation was established in 1839, and it is the oldest extant congregation in Houston and one of the oldest non-Roman Catholic churches in Texas. In 1844, a wooden building on this site served as a church. In 1846 it was supplanted by a brick structure. In 1859 a second brick church was begun, then enlarged in 1876. The current building was erected in 1893 by architect, Silas McBee. Its alter area rebuilt after a fire in 1938 that suffered a major fire. A firefighter sprayed down the ornately carved rood screen to prevent its destruction, and it survived with only minor damage. The original cornerstone may be seen inside the church. Source © COH - HAHC, 2007.

Annunciation Catholic Church

1618 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77003 Established in 1869; Romanesque style Texas Historic Landmark Designation Date: 1969 National Register of Historical Places: 1975-11-03* Annunciation is Houston’s second oldest Catholic Church. Annunciation is one of the few remaining Catholic churches to provide mass in both English and Latin. Now a state historical landmark, the impressive stained-glass memorial windows, frescoes, and gothic arches reminisce of a cathedral in Rome. Annunciation Church sprung from the congregation at St. Vincent's, Houston's first Catholic church. In 1866, Father Joseph Querat and Galveston Bishop Claude M. Debuis believed the congregation was outgrowing the old building and started planning for a new one. The congregation chose the name for the planned building, "Church of the Annunciation." Nicholas Clayton designed the building that was dedicated on September 10, 1871. The bell tower was added later in 1871 and the twin towers were added in 1884. Source © COH - HAHC, 2025.

William L. Foley House

1618 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77003 Located at the Annunciation Catholic Church Complex; present location since Feb. 2015 Established 1904; Neo-Classical style The William L. Foley House is a 1904 two-story Neo-Classical wooden building with four fluted Corinthian columns and a double gallery extending across its facade. It was built by William L. Foley, an Irish businessman best known as the Founder of the Foley's department chain: he opened the W.L. Foley Dry Goods Company at the 200th block of Travis (specializing in French imports and “ladies’ piece goods and notions”) in 1876 and the first Foley Brothers Department Store (together with his nephews Pat and James Foley) back in 1900. In 1950, Blanche, Foley’s last living child, sold the Foley name to Federated, who ultimately dropped the “Brothers” moniker and called it Foley’s Department Stores. The house originally stood at 1617 Texas Ave. (N 29° 45.404 W 95° 21.407) which is one of the final residences of the Quality Hill neighborhood in downtown. Source © COH - HAHC, 2025.

Union Station

Daikin Park 501 Crawford Str, Houston, 77002 The original Union Station served as the main inter-city passenger terminal for Houston for over seven decades, till July 31, 1974. Established 1911; Classical Revival National Register of Historic Places: 1977-11-10* In 1909 the Houston Belt and Terminal Railway Company commissioned the design of a new union station for Houston from New York City-based architects Warren and Wetmore. The location called for the demolition of several structures of Houston prominence. Horace Baldwin Rice's residence and Adath Yeshurun Congregation's synagogue among other structures were removed. With an original estimated cost of $1 million USD, Union Station was constructed by the American Construction Company for an eventual total of five times that amount. Exterior walls were constructed of granite, limestone, and terracotta, while the interior used an extensive amount of marble. It was completed and opened on March 1, 1911. At the time, Houston, with seventeen railways, was considered the main railroad hub of the Southern United States. This is also evident by the Seal of Houston, which prominently features a locomotive. Two more floors were added the following year. Source © COH - HAHC, 2025.

Arthur B. Cohen House

This is the other house that sat right infront of Minute Maid Park for years before being moved to this corner.

Corner of Commerce St @ Hamilton St, Houston, TX 77003 (moved since March 13, 2021) Established 1905; Queen Anne-style HAHC Designation Date: 1998-03-11* National Register of Historic Places: 1985-11-07* Texas Historic Landmarks Registry Designation Date: 1995 The Arthur B. Cohn House is a City of Houston Landmark designated in March of 1998 and a Protected Landmark designated in 2005. It is also a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Queen Anne-style two-story historic residence was constructed circa 1905. The earliest portion of the Cohn House, the two-story kitchen wing at the rear, may date to as early as 1866. In 2011 the Cohn House received a COA to be relocated to its current location. The house originally stood at 1711 Rusk Street. It was built by Arthur Benjamin Cohn (1871-1938), a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, and the principal accountant for the William Marsh Rice Estate. Cohn is best remembered for playing an instrumental role in the establishment of Rice University in 1912, and for serving as its first business manager. Source © COH - HAHC, 1998.

Marriott Marquis ® Houston

The Marriott Marquis ® Houston is connected to the George R. Brown Convention Center with 1,000 hotel rooms and over 100,000 square feet of flexible meeting space or ballroom. The unique Texas-shaped lazy river and the heated infinity pool — all on the rooftop overlooking Discovery Green. Opened December 26, 2016. Consider stopping for refreshments at: Biggio's Sports Bar (two-levels bar) Cueva, High Dive, Texas T, Walker Street Kitchen, Xochi by Hugo Ortega, A la Carte Marriott Marquis Houston 1777 Walker Street, Houston, TX 77010 Website:  Marriott Marquis Houston Hotel  Source © City of Houston, 2025

George R. Brown Convention Center District

Avenida Houston is the site of the George R. Brown Convention Center, the redevelopment of the Interior and Exterior with Retail.

Walk south on Avenida De Las Americas to Discovery Green.

Attractions: Avenida Eats and Welcome Center Grotto Downtown Kulture Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen The Rustic (on Poke Street) Saltgrass Steak Housee

George R Brown Convention Center 1001 Avenida De Las Americas, TX 77010 Website:   GRB Houston 

Source © City of Houston, 2025

Walking To Main Street

Enjoy your walk around the George R. Brown Convention Center & the Discovery Green area. The surround area is home to the baseball (Daikin Park-Astro), basketball (Toyota Center-Rockets) and soccer (Shell Energy Stadium-Dynamo) across the freeway. Discovery Green is a beautiful, vibrant 12-acre park in the heart of downtown Houston that opened to the public in April 2008. The park was envisioned by several committed Houston philanthropists, who saw the space as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create an urban park that would redefine the landscape of downtown. Avenida Houston Shop Looking for a souvenir or have questions? Head up to the Avenida Houston Shop, the official Houston Visitor Center -- inside the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel, first floor, on the corner of Polk St @ Avenida de las Americas.

Attractions: 1600 Bar + Grille In Room Dining Lobby Bar Pappasito's Cantina R24 Executive Rooftop Lounge Starbucks in the Hilton Avenida Houston Shop

The Hilton Americas-Houston 1600 Lamar St, Houston, TX 77010 Website:  Hilton Americas-Houston 

Next, we will head up to Dallas Street. From Discovery Green, walk left to La Branch, right on Dallas (walk five blocks west back to Main Street). Along Dallas St., you will be walking along the Dallas Street Shopping District yet to be completed. Source © City of Houston, 2025

Dallas Street Shopping District

Walking to Main Street along the newly almost completed Shopping District (coming soon).

Source © City of Houston, 2025.

Main Street Self-Tour

On Main, discover this street and the buildings that are rich in history that started way back in 1836. These buildings are designated landmarks by the city of Houston's HAHC. Many historical buildings have been torn down along Main St and these are a few that remains. Take a look at Houston's map in  1912 .

Your journey continues to Landmarks Along Main Street , the last map .. or, click on to the above Menu. Enjoy!