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Modern Downtown, 1940-1990 Architecture Walk (sold out!)

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

From glittering postmodern skyscrapers by Philip Johnson and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to gems from local architects including Lloyd, Morgan & Jones, downtown Houston’s skyline is a chronicle of the city’s phenomenal 20th-century growth. This 90-minute, docent-guided walking tour will explore downtown buildings built between 1940 and 1990 and what they can tell us about changing architectural trends and Houston's increasing stature in the postwar period. We'll discuss the architecture of landmark modern buildings while touching on regional modernism, preservation challenges and the ways in which America's largest unzoned central business district has developed through the years.

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 require that tourgoers who are not fully vaccinated remain masked at all times during the tour, including at check in. This policy may change based on recommendations from the CDC and local health officials.

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 since February 2020, 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.