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Beth Israel Cemetery Architecture Walk

Please note that advance ticket purchase is required for this walking tour. Scroll down or click here to register.

When Beth Israel Cemetery was established in 1844, Houston was still a frontier village — in fact, the cemetery was located well out of town on the San Felipe Road (now West Dallas Avenue). Over the years Houston has grown up around Beth Israel and many of its most prominent Jewish leaders have been laid to rest here, including merchant families the Levys, Meyers and Sakowitzes; philanthropist Ben Taub; and Rabbi Hyman Judah Schachtel, who led Congregation Beth Israel for 32 years.

Our 90-minute, docent-guided walking tour tells the stories of the lives and deaths of those and other notable Houstonians buried at Beth Israel and includes a visit to the Temple of Rest, the 1935 Art Deco mausoleum designed by Joseph Finger (who is entombed inside).

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.