Advance ticket purchase is required for this tour.
Settled in the mid-19th century at what was then Houston’s western edge, the Old Sixth Ward grew up alongside the railroads that powered the city’s early expansion. Much of the neighborhood was developed by W. R. Baker, a Houston mayor and president of the Houston & Texas Central Railway, and many early residents were railroad workers who built modest wood-frame cottages enlivened with hand-cut gingerbread ornamentation. These houses were practical, personal and expressive — everyday architecture shaped by the people who lived there.
Our 90-minute docent-guided walking tour explores how Victorian Houstonians lived, how they expressed identity and aspiration through their homes, and how the Old Sixth Ward evolved from a working-class neighborhood into one of Houston’s first preservation success stories. Along the route, we’ll look closely at the architecture that gives the area its character while sharing stories of residents past and present, including figures whose lives intersected with the neighborhood in very different ways. Together, these homes and stories reveal why the Old Sixth Ward remains one of Houston’s most loved and most important historic places.
Things to remember
This is an exterior architecture tour. It doesn't go inside any buildings.
There are no public restrooms along the tour route.
About the tour
Advance ticket purchase is required. Tickets are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and walk-up registrations cannot be accommodated. Tour tickets are nonrefundable.
Registrants will receive parking and check-in information by e-mail in advance of the tour.
In the event of inclement weather that prevents the tour from being offered as planned, registrants will be notified as early as possible with options to attend a rescheduled tour or transfer their reservation to another Preservation Houston tour.
Do you have an Architecture Walks pass?
If you are a Preservation Houston member and have received a free Architecture Walks pass, you may redeem it for admission to this tour. E-mail tours@preservationhouston.org and we’ll be happy to assist.
Passes are redeemable subject to ticket availability.