During this online program, PH Programs Director Jim Parsons will share dramatic before-and-after photos and tell the stories behind this year’s Good Brick Award recipients, from personal passion projects to major community efforts. These are buildings that were rescued, reimagined and restored with vision, craftsmanship and care.
Advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.
A walk along Main Street in downtown Houston is a walk through the city's business development and its changing architectural tastes. As Houston's business district grew in the 20th century, the street was built up with soaring skyscrapers, busy hotels, ornate movie theaters and lavish department stores. Suburbanization brought an end to downtown's heyday as a shopping and entertainment destination, but many of the buildings from this era of growth and glamour still stand, giving us a fascinating look at the Bayou City's past.
Please note that advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.
Historic Glenwood Cemetery is known for its beauty, but the stories of the people buried there are just as compelling — especially Glenwood's women, whose legacies range from the suffrage movement to the silver screen. This tour tells the stories of some of those fascinating women and their impacts locally and nationally. Among the featured subjects are Charlotte Allen, the wife of Houston co-founder Augustus Allen; suffragists Annette Finnigan and Florence Sterling; publisher and stateswoman Oveta Culp Hobby, who led the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II; and movie star Gene Tierney.
Please note that advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.
Although Glenwood Cemetery is known for its splendid Victorian monuments, there’s a more modern side as well. This docent-guided walking tour explores some of the newer sections of Glenwood and the lives of some of the well-known 20th century Houstonians buried there, including businessmen George and Herman Brown; cotton magnate and statesman Will Clayton; Edgar Odell Lovett, Rice University’s first president; Astrodome builder Judge Roy Hofheinz; and longtime television anchor Ron Stone.
Mark your calendar! Preservation Houston’s 12th annual Good Brick Tour is coming Saturday and Sunday, November 8 and 9, 2025. Save the date and plan to join us for an exclusive inside look at a curated selection of remarkable historic homes and buildings. Volunteer docents will guide you through each property, sharing stories of their history, architecture, unique design elements and preservation journey.
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.
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church has invited Preservation Houston members to a special evening of live music, community and history at Jazz on the Plaza, happening from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 10. Enjoy an outdoor concert on the plaza between St. Paul’s historic sanctuary and the Jones Youth Building while taking in the architectural beauty of this Houston landmark.
Join Preservation Houston and Houston Mod from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 22, for an exclusive members-only tribute to Brochsteins, the Houston company that has shaped interiors across the city and beyond with its impeccable craftsmanship and design.
Before new owners take possession, Preservation Houston members have a rare opportunity to tour the Westfall House, a beautifully restored 1905 bungalow in Westmoreland, on Saturday morning, March 15. Portrait artist George Westfall and his wife, Emma, built the house using a design by George Barber, a Knoxville, Tennessee, architect known for publishing widely popular catalogs of house plans. The Westfall House was built from one of those designs and stands as a classic example of the airplane bungalow,
We’re getting together for a happy hour for all Preservation Houston and Pier & Beam members on the evening of Thursday, March 13, and we’d love to see you there! This informal gathering is a great chance to unwind, catch up with PH members and share our passion for preservation at Marquis II — a longtime Houston favorite with a surprising architectural history.
Advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.
When developer W.W. Baldwin laid out Westmoreland Place in 1902, its location on the southwestern side of what is now Midtown was considered the very edge of Houston. Although times have changed, much of Westmoreland's historic character remains, giving us a fascinating look at the residential architecture of the early 20th-century Bayou City.
Preservation Houston’s History in Print author series continues Thursday, March 6, as architect and University of Texas professor David Heymann discusses his book John S. Chase – The Chase Residence. Join us at 6:30 p.m. that evening as we explore the story of one of Houston’s most iconic modern homes and the visionary architect who created it.
Advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.
Glenwood Cemetery, established in 1871 on rolling, wooded land near Buffalo Bayou, is one of the most beautiful outdoor spaces in Houston. It is also the resting place of scores of people who built Houston into the city we know today. This two-hour docent-guided tour looks at the lives and legacies of some of the men and women buried at Glenwood who shaped Houston after the turn of the 20th century.
Advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.
Located in the shadow of the downtown skyscrapers, Founders Memorial Cemetery is one of the few physical links to the early days of Houston and Texas. The plot of land along the San Felipe Road (now West Dallas Avenue) began being used for burials shortly after Houston was founded in 1836 and became the resting place of veterans of the Texas Revolution, heroes of the Battle of San Jacinto and government officials of the Republic of Texas.
Join us for a virtual preview of Preservation Houston’s exciting new travel program, PH Travels: Philadelphia, which we're launching in September 2025. This free program offers a first look at our inaugural group travel experience, exclusively for Preservation Houston members.
Advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.
When landscape architects Hare & Hare drew up plans for Houston's civic center in the late 1920s, they envisioned a group of stylistically similar Spanish-influenced buildings arranged around a public square. However, those plans were derailed by the Depression, and the city's governmental and cultural center ended up developing over the next 50 years in a variety of styles with few overall planning efforts. Today, structures in the Civic Center and the adjacent Theater District reflect not only the evolution of Houston's municipal and cultural institutions, but also changing architectural tastes.
Join us for an evening of festive cheer at Preservation Houston's Holiday Party on Tuesday evening, December 10! We'll gather at Fire Station No. 2, a beautifully restored 1910 firehouse and 2017 Good Brick Award winner that's at the heart of an exciting revitalization of its East End neighborhood. It's the perfect setting to celebrate the season and the spirit of preservation.
Advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.
This two-hour walking tour traces the changing tastes and the varied social and personal motivations reflected in some of Glenwood's outstanding monuments, which range from elaborate Victorian obelisks and angels to crisp, modern compositions. Along the way, docents will explain the symbolism and stories behind the monuments and will discuss the lives of Houstonians both famous and forgotten who commissioned them.
Advance ticket purchase is required for this walking tour.
"Houston's University" was founded in 1927 as a night school meeting in borrowed rooms, but it quickly grew into a four-year university and is now a major urban research institution. Our 90-minute docent-guided tour of the UH campus traces the university's history and the people who made the school what it is today, including oilman Hugh Roy Cullen, its great benefactor.
Join Preservation Houston on Saturday and Sunday, November 9 and 10, for an inside look at five exceptional historic homes and buildings, including a Victorian cottage in the Sixth Ward, a mid-century stunner near Rice University and the legendary Eldorado Ballroom in the Third Ward. All locations will be open to visitors from noon to 5 p.m. both days of the tour.
Advance ticket purchase is required for this walking tour.
The area now known as Midtown originally developed as farmland on the outskirts of Houston, then was transformed into the upscale South End residential district as the city expanded to the south around the turn of the 20th century. Over the years, South End residents moved to newer suburban neighborhoods and their grand homes were demolished to make way for office and retail buildings, apartments and parking lots.
The Eldorado Ballroom has been a fixture in Houston's Third Ward since 1939. Prominent Black businesspeople and philanthropists Anna and Clarence Dupree built the nightclub to be a showplace for blue-chip entertainers including Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald and James Brown — but the Eldorado was more than a famous nightspot. The so-called "Home of Happy Feet" hosted generations of Houstonians at dances, talent shows and dinners, and was a vital part of the Third Ward's civic and commercial life.
Please note that advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.
Historic Glenwood Cemetery is known for its beauty, but the stories of the people buried there are just as compelling — especially Glenwood's women, whose legacies range from the suffrage movement to the silver screen. This tour tells the stories of some of those fascinating women and their impacts locally and nationally. Among the featured subjects are Charlotte Allen, the wife of Houston co-founder Augustus Allen; suffragists Annette Finnigan and Florence Sterling; publisher and stateswoman Oveta Culp Hobby, who led the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II; and movie star Gene Tierney.
We're holding a happy hour for Preservation Houston and Pier & Beam members Thursday evening, September 26, and we'd love to see you there! This informal gathering will be a great opportunity to unwind, catch up with fellow members and share our passion for preservation in a classic setting: West Alabama Ice House, a fixture in the Montrose area since 1928.
When planning began for a building to replace the office that had served historic Glenwood Cemetery since 1888, the goal was to design a structure that reflected modern sensibilities while respecting the cemetery’s 150-year heritage. The result was the Center for Glenwood, a 14,000-square-foot office, education and visitor center that opened in 2023. Join PH and architect Dillon Kyle at the Center on September 17 for a look into the process of designing a new landmark for one of Houston’s most historic places.
Advance ticket purchase is required for this walking tour.
The William A. Wilson Realty Co. began developing Woodland Heights in 1907 on 136 acres of land that was once part of John Austin's Mexican land grant. The neighborhood was one of Houston's first "streetcar suburbs" — a streetcar line ran from downtown along Houston Avenue to just outside the Woodland Heights gates, enabling working-class Houstonians to live in a lovely wooded setting and easily commute to their jobs.
American architect Victor Lundy built his career on a deep understanding of material and form, crafting designs that range from gracefully soaring houses of worship to the rigidly geometric United States Tax Court Building in Washington, D.C. Lundy’s journey brought him to Houston, where he still resides, in 1976. Although he no longer lives in the remarkable home and studio he designed for himself and his wife, Anstis, our members have the exclusive opportunity to have a first look at this masterpiece Saturday morning, September 7, as it goes on the market.
Architect Victor Lundy’s long and varied career saw him produce striking, sculptural designs for homes, retail stores, churches and government buildings. Lundy was trained in the Beaux Arts and Bauhaus traditions, and though his work drew from both, his experimentation with material and form gave him a style all his own. Today, Lundy’s work is praised for its careful composition and timeless quality — and yet he remains one of the most underappreciated figures in modern American architecture.
Advance ticket purchase is required for this walking tour.
Market Square, one of the public squares laid out in the Allen brothers' original plan of Houston, was home to the city market and City Hall from 1841 to 1939. During that time, the square became the center of Houston's early commercial district. Although the area declined in the mid-20th century, preservation projects have brought new uses to its historic buildings and new life to Market Square itself.
Join Preservation Houston Programs Director Jim Parsons for an illustrated virtual look at the Bayou City's history that explores the forces that have shaped its development and the stories of some of the people who helped turn a swampy village into one of America's largest and most dynamic cities. The Story of Houston is an engaging review of local history for newcomers and longtime Houstonians alike.
Advance ticket purchase is required for this walking tour.
The story of Turner Addition began in 1871 when Nathaniel P. Turner platted the neighborhood more than two miles outside the Houston city limit, apparently anticipating that the city's growth would soon fill the gap between his subdivision and civilization. As it turned out, development in Turner Addition didn't begin until the late 1910s, when an extension of Montrose Boulevard finally linked the area with the rest of Houston.
Preservation Houston members are invited to celebrate the organization’s work in the past year, welcome new leaders and mingle with friends during the 2024 Member Reception and Meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 18.
Please note that advance ticket purchase is required for this walking tour.
As large as it is, Houston shares a feature with dozens of small towns across Texas: a courthouse square. On Sunday afternoon, May 19, we'll take a look at the history and architecture of the neighborhood surrounding the Harris County Courthouse — one of Houston's most historic areas.
Please note that advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.
Glenwood Cemetery, established in 1871 on rolling, wooded land near Buffalo Bayou, is one of the most beautiful outdoor spaces in Houston. It is also the resting place of scores of people who built Houston into the city we know today — railroad executives, bankers, politicians and architects, among many others.
Preservation Houston has presented Good Brick Awards since 1979 to recognize outstanding historic preservation projects — and we’re inviting you to join us online at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, to learn more about this year’s Good Brick winners.
