Please note that advance ticket purchase is required for this walking tour. Scroll down or click here to register.
The section of downtown east of Main Street is a study in change. Early in Houston’s history, it was home to Quality Hill, the city’s most fashionable residential neighborhood. The area turned commercial after the turn of the 20th century thanks to an expanding business district and the construction of Union Station in 1911. Large-scale redevelopment projects including Houston Center and the George R. Brown Convention Center drastically altered the area in the late 1900s, and today, east downtown is an intriguing mix of small commercial buildings, early skyscrapers and gleaming modern office towers and hotels.
This 90-minute docent-guided tour traces the history of the area through architecture old and new, ranging from historic structures such as Union Station and the 1915 Texas Company Building to new developments like Discovery Green, which has been a catalyst for nearly $2 billion in new construction.
This is an exterior architecture tour only. The tour will not go inside any buildings. There are no public restrooms along the tour route.
About the tour
Admission is $10 per person for the general public ($7 for Preservation Houston members and students.) Children 11 years old and under are admitted free.
Advance ticket purchase is required. Reservations are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. We are not able to accommodate walk-ups the day of the tour. There are no refunds for tour reservations.
Registrants will receive parking and check-in information via e-mail.
Face masks are optional for all fully vaccinated individuals, including docents. We ask that tourgoers who are not fully vaccinated remain masked at all times during the tour, including at check in.
In the event of inclement weather that prevents the tour from being offered as planned, we will notify registrants as far in advance as possible about their options to attend a rescheduled tour or transfer their reservations to another Preservation Houston tour.
Reserve your tickets now
Do you have an Architecture Walks pass?
If you have joined Preservation Houston and received a pass for a free Architecture Walk, you may redeem the pass for admission to this tour. E-mail us and we'll be happy to help.
Passes are redeemable subject to ticket availability.
