Architecture Walks

Next tour: University of St. Thomas/Menil, April 13

Please note that advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.

The University of St. Thomas broke with tradition when it hired the modernist architect Philip Johnson to design its new campus in 1956. And though Johnson took inspiration for his buildings at UST from the contemporary designs of Mies van der Rohe, his campus plan was influenced by something much older: Thomas Jefferson's 1818 design for the University of Virginia.

Our 90-minute docent-guided walking tour focuses on the development of the university's campus and the buildings of the adjacent Menil campus, which include Eugene Aubry's recently restored Rothko Chapel and Renzo Piano's Menil Collection and Twombly Gallery. We'll also visit Hughes House, the boyhood home of Howard Hughes Jr., and Johnson's Chapel of St. Basil at the University of St. Thomas, one of the most distinctive worship spaces in Houston.

Learn more about this tour or reserve your tickets now:

About Architecture Walks

Explore Houston's architecturally and historically significant neighborhoods, buildings and institutions with Preservation Houston's monthly docent-guided walking tours. The tours are offered on the second or third Sunday of the month from January to November; tickets go on sale at 1:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. June through September). Tours are open to the public. The cost is $15 per person ($10 for Preservation Houston members, students and children 11 and under). Advance ticket purchase is required for all tours.

We also offer quarterly walking tours of Glenwood Cemetery (reservations are required; see our schedule of upcoming tours) as well as private tours for groups of nearly any size.

Digital Architecture Walks

PH’s Digital Architecture Walks include videos, self-guided tours and other content that will help you explore historic neighborhoods, buildings and sites. These digital tours are offered in conjunction with our guided in-person Architecture Walks.