Architecture Walks begin at 6 p.m. in June, July, August and September.
Market Square, one of the public squares in the Allen brothers' original plan of Houston, was the location of the city market and City Hall from 1841 to 1939. For nearly a century, this was Houston's civic and commercial crossroads, where goods were traded, decisions were made and the city grew into itself.
The district declined in the mid-20th century, but preservation and reinvestment have returned historic buildings to active use and restored Market Square as a gathering place.
Our 90-minute, docent-guided walking tour traces that arc of decline and renewal. We'll visit the 1861 Kennedy Bakery, now La Carafe, one of Houston's oldest surviving commercial buildings, and walk the 300 block of Main Street, where a largely intact row of late 19th-century commercial structures still defines the street. Along the way, we'll take in the commanding façades of the early 20th-century financial district and talk about what survives, what has been lost and what it takes to sustain a historic downtown.
We'll also look at the reimagining of Market Square Park, reopened in 2010 as a welcoming urban green space rooted in its past but designed for the city Houston is still becoming.
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.