Architecture Walks

Next tour: First Ward, July 13

Our monthly Architecture Walks begin at 6 p.m. from June through September.
Advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.

Just northwest of downtown, Houston’s First Ward is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. Its roots go back to the 1830s, when railroad workers, grocers, immigrants and entrepreneurs began building a community near White Oak Bayou. Despite decades of decline, freeway construction and redevelopment, the neighborhood still offers a vivid glimpse of early working-class life in Houston.

This all-new docent-guided walking tour explores the First Ward’s rich architectural legacy and continuing transformation. Highlights include the 1903 Romanesque Revival Fire Station No. 3, the former Hynes Bakery on Houston Avenue and a mosaic wall created by residents Bob and Dawn Shumway — a symbol of the neighborhood’s growing identity as an arts hub. Along the way, we’ll share the stories of the people and preservationists who have helped shape this community for nearly two centuries.

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.