City guide
74 buildings worth a detour, each with what to look for. Open them on the map, or walk them with the iPhone app, which collects each one you photograph.
The buildings that define the city's architecture.
Known as the 1910 Harris County Courthouse, this downtown Houston building was designed by the architecture firm Lang & Witchell in the Neoclassical style, with a recorded year of 1907. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
All Saints Catholic Church is a Romanesque and Romanesque Revival church listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: D. Barlow , CC BY-SA 3.0
Annunciation Church stands in downtown Houston, built in the Romanesque Revival style, with a recorded year of 1969. It is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
Landmark
The Audrey Jones Beck Building is a museum building in Houston's Museum District designed by Rafael Moneo.
Photo: Judson Dunn from Houston, USA , CC BY-SA 2.0
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens is an estate house set within its own grounds, built in 1966 in the Neoclassical style. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Postoak at English Wikipedia , Public domain
Landmark
The Caroline Wiess Law Building's Brown Pavilion sits in Houston's Museum District, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, one of the foundational masters of modernist architecture.
Photo: MFAH archives at English Wikipedia , CC BY-SA 3.0
Christ Church Cathedral is a Gothic Revival cathedral in downtown Houston, dating to 1972 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Blwarren713 (talk) , CC BY-SA 3.0
Landmark
The Edward Albert Palmer Memorial Chapel and Autry House, completed in 1921, was designed by Ralph Adams Cram with William Ward Watkin, pairing a chapel with an adjoining house. The complex is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Jujutacular , CC BY-SA 4.0
The Ezekiel W. Cullen Building was completed in 1950, designed by architect Alfred C. Finn in the Art Deco style, and serves as a campus landmark facade.
Photo: Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries , CC0
The Farnsworth and Chambers office building was designed by MacKie and Kamrath, a significant Houston modernist firm, in a modern architectural style. It is individually listed as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
Landmark
The Glassell School of Art is a contemporary campus building in Houston's Museum District, designed by Steven Holl Architects.
Houston City Hall was completed in 1939 to a design by architect Joseph Finger in the Art Deco style, and it serves as the seat of city government, fronting Hermann Square with its prominent Art Deco facade. It is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Owen Johnson, photographer. Historic American Buildings Survey, Heritage Documentation Programs, a division of the U.S. National Park Service , Public domain
The Houston Cotton Exchange Building was designed by architect Eugene T. Heiner in the Renaissance Revival style and served as the home of the Houston Cotton Exchange, the institution that once organized the city's commodity trade in cotton. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, marking its place in Houston's downtown commercial history.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
The Houston Negro Hospital was designed by architect Maurice J. Sullivan in the Spanish Colonial Revival and Mission Revival styles and stands as the first hospital built for Black residents in Houston. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
The Houston Negro Hospital School of Nursing Building was designed by architect Maurice J. Sullivan in the Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles, part of the hospital complex tied to significant Black history in Houston. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
The Hugo V. Neuhaus Jr. House is an International Style residence that is both a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Completed in 1929, the JPMorgan Chase Building blends Art Deco and Gothic Revival detailing into what is described as a textbook example of the period skyscraper. It carries a rare triple designation — Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, National Register of Historic Places, and Historic Civil Engineering Landmark — and remains a prominent, ornate Art Deco tower in the downtown Houston streetscape.
Photo: Reagan Rothenberger , CC BY 3.0
Landmark
JPMorgan Chase Tower is a downtown Houston skyscraper completed in 1982 and designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. It is the tallest building in Texas.
The McCain, Henry Hicks, House is a Prairie School residence listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Landmark
The Menil Collection, in Houston's Museum District, was designed by architect Renzo Piano and completed in 1987.
Photo: WhisperToMe , Public domain
The Merchants and Manufacturers Building stands in downtown Houston, built in the Art Deco style, with a recorded year of 1984. It carries three layers of heritage recognition: a National Register of Historic Places contributing property, a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and a separate National Register of Historic Places listing.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
The Miller, Ezekial and Mary Jane, House is a Colonial Revival residence in Houston's Museum District. It is designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston traces back to 1900, and its presence today is the sum of additions by a succession of major architects — William Ward Watkin, Isamu Noguchi, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and Rafael Moneo. That lineage, spanning early Houston practice through high modernism to Spanish postmodern design, gives the museum a facade and massing built up across generations rather than in a single stroke, and supports a retellable story of its own.
Photo: Judson Dunn from Houston, USA , CC BY-SA 2.0
The Niels Esperson Building, completed in 1927, was designed by architect John Eberson in the Neoclassical style. Its distinctive campanile-topped tower has made it a notable landmark in downtown Houston.
Photo: WhisperToMe , Public domain
Landmark
Pennzoil Place, completed in 1975, was designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee as a pair of twin towers with distinctive angled tops, a departure from the flat-roofed skyscraper conventions of the day. The trapezoidal massing became one of downtown Houston's most recognizable skyline forms.
Photo: Agsftw , CC BY-SA 3.0
The River Oaks Garden Club Forum of Civics was completed in 1964 to a Neoclassical design by John F. Staub, a historically important Houston architect. Built as a civic garden clubhouse, it is individually listed as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Jim Evans , CC BY-SA 3.0
The Rothko Chapel opened in 1971, designed by Philip Johnson and Eugene Aubry as an interfaith chapel built around no single religious tradition. Johnson's involvement as one of the historically important American architects of his era, combined with the chapel's unusual program, has made it a widely retold part of Houston's cultural story. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Scanlan Building was completed in 1909 in the Chicago School style, designed by Daniel Burnham, one of the most historically significant architects in American history. Burnham's involvement gives the building an outsized place in Houston's architectural story, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
The TC Energy Center was completed in 1983 to a postmodern design by Philip Johnson, a historically pivotal architect. It stands as a notable example of the postmodern skyscraper of its era and one of downtown Houston's most prominent towers.
Photo: Jim Porter from Houston, usa , CC BY 2.0
Union Station was designed in the Neoclassical style by Warren and Wetmore, the firm famed for Grand Central Terminal in New York. As a former train station, it gave downtown Houston a grand civic street presence, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
Worth a stop when you're nearby.
1600 Smith Street is a downtown Houston office tower completed in 1984 in the postmodern style, visible as a prominent tower from the street.
Photo: WhisperToMe , Public domain
The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, in the Museum District, is a Byzantine Revival cathedral known for its distinctive domed street presence.
Photo: WhisperToMe , CC0
Landmark
The Children's Museum of Houston, in the Museum District, was designed in 1980 by Denise Scott Brown, one of the historically important architects of postmodernism.
Photo: WhisperToMe , Public domain
Congregation Beth Israel is a Moderne synagogue designed by Joseph Finger, dating to 2008. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
Photo: WhisperToMe , Public domain
The Hogg Building is a Mediterranean Revival building in downtown Houston, completed in 1921. It is designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: i_am_jim , CC BY-SA 3.0
The Humble Oil Building is a downtown Houston office building designed by the architecture firm Clinton and Russell in the Renaissance Revival style. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Jujutacular , CC BY-SA 3.0
Jefferson Davis Hospital is a former downtown Houston hospital building designed in the Neoclassical style, later the subject of an adaptive reuse project. It is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with a 2008 date associated with the record.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
The Julia Ideson Building is a downtown Houston library building in the Mediterranean Revival style. It is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with a 2003 date associated with the record.
Photo: WhisperToMe , Public domain
Fine buildings that fewer people seek out.
The Benjamin Apartments, completed in 1924, were designed by architect Alfred C. Finn in the Renaissance Revival style.
Photo: JPTrotter , CC BY-SA 4.0
The Carroll, J. J., House is a Neoclassical residence in the Museum District, individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Landmark
The Cheek-Neal Coffee Company Building in downtown Houston was designed by architect Joseph Finger. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Jim Evans , CC BY-SA 4.0
The City National Bank Building in downtown Houston was designed by prominent Houston architect Alfred C. Finn in the Moderne style.
Photo: Farragutful , CC BY-SA 3.0
The James A. Dawson House is a Colonial Revival residence in the Museum District, individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
revivalism
The DePelchin Faith Home in Houston's Museum District was designed by the firm Mauran and Russell and dates to 1984, built in a revivalist style. The building served as a home for orphaned children.
Photo: Jim Evans , CC BY-SA 4.0
The Jay L. Durham House is a Queen Anne style residence individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with an ornamental facade visible from the street.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, TX , CC BY 3.0
The Eaton House is a Colonial Revival residence individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
Franklin Lofts is a loft building in downtown Houston, built in 1904 in the Renaissance Revival style, with a facade that faces the street.
Photo: Jerome H. Farbar , Public domain
The Hawkins House is a Mission Revival residence individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
revivalism
The Heyne, Fred J., House is a revivalist-style residence in the Museum District, individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: WhisperToMe , CC BY 3.0
The House at 112 W. 4th Street is a Queen Anne style residence individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
The House at 828 Heights Boulevard is a Queen Anne style residence individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas , CC BY 3.0
The House at 917 Heights Boulevard is a Colonial Revival residence individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, US , CC BY 3.0
Houston Fire Station No. 7 is a Romanesque Revival former firehouse, recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: i_am_jim , CC BY-SA 4.0
The James L. Autry House is a Neoclassical residence in Houston's Museum District, completed in 1912 to a design by architect Alfred C. Finn. It is recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: i_am_jim , CC BY-SA 3.0
Landmark
The John and Bessie Parker House in Houston's Museum District is a documented work of architect John F. Staub, named for the couple who lived there.
Landmark
The Jones-Hunt House in Houston's Museum District is a documented work of architect Alfred C. Finn.
The Meek, James V., House is a Queen Anne style residence in the Museum District, listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
The Meitzen House is a Colonial Revival residence individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Myer, Sterling, House is a Tudor Revival home in Houston's Museum District, designed by the firm Sanguinet and Staats. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Nash, William R., House is a Neoclassical residence in Houston's Museum District, individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
The Joseph Ogle House is a Colonial Revival residence individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
One Shell Plaza is a modern-architecture tower in downtown Houston, completed in 1971 and counted among the city's notable early high-rises. It's a tall downtown tower visible from the street.
Photo: unknown , CC BY-SA 3.0
The Otto House is a Queen Anne style residence individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with an ornamental facade visible from the street.
The Sessums-James House is a Queen Anne style residence individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Sewall, Cleveland Harding, House is a Mission Revival house designed by Ralph Adams Cram, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: 0x0077BE , CC0
Landmark
The Simon and Mamie Minchen House in Houston's Museum District was completed in 1931 to a design by Joseph Finger, a notable Houston architect. It is named for the couple who lived there.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
The State National Bank Building in downtown Houston was designed by prominent Houston architect Alfred C. Finn in a Neoclassical, Beaux-Arts style.
Photo: Farragutful , CC BY-SA 3.0
revivalism
The Sterling-Berry House is a revivalist-style residence in Houston's Museum District, individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Victorian architecture
The Sweeney, Coombs, and Fredericks Building is a Victorian commercial building in downtown Houston, recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: i_am_jim , CC BY-SA 3.0
Trinity Episcopal Church, designed by Ralph Adams Cram, a major Gothic Revival church architect, carries a 1986 date and is both a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: i_am_jim , CC BY-SA 3.0
revivalism
The United States Customhouse in downtown Houston was designed by James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect of the US Treasury. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: General Services Administration Uploaded by Pubdog at en.wikipedia , Public domain
Landmark
The W. L. Foley Building stands in downtown Houston, designed by architect Eugene T. Heiner. It is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA , CC BY 3.0
The Samuel H. Webber House is a Colonial Revival residence individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Wimberly House is a Queen Anne style residence individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with an ornamental facade visible from the street.
Photo: Upsidedownmonkey , CC BY-SA 3.0
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