#

Tour

Hours

Theme – Buffalo Bayou, Parks, Plazas, Statues, Governmental Buildings, and the Theater District

1

E1

1.5

17-floor City Hall to Texas Avenue.
It goes through the following parks and plazas:

• Buffalo Bayou Park (an ongoing project, 2015).
• Tranquility Park from 1979.

It goes by the following structures:

• The 5-floor tall City Hall Annex from the 1980s.

• The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts from 2002.
• Bayou Place at the Albert Thomas Convention Center from 1967.
• The Bob Casey Federal Courthouse Building from 1962 where all 800 windows were installed backwards.

One will see the statues, replicas, or reliefs of:

• “In Minds” by Tony Cragg (1949 – present) from 2003.
• Five Saturn V rockets.
• Craters on the moon.
• An astronaut on the moon.

You will also see:

• The old Sweeney Jewelers Clock from 1908.
• The 400 year Old Hanging Oak Tree. Legend states that at least 11 people were hung from this tree during the days of the Republic (1836 – 1845).
• A replica of US Representative Albert Thomas’s (1898 – 1966) office.
• The live music venue and the only downtown movie theater in downtown, both in Bayou Place, the former Albert Thomas Convention Center.

2

E2

2.0

17-floor City Hall to Preston Street.
All of the above plus:
It goes through the following parks and plazas:

• Sesquicentennial Park from 1989.
• Ray C. Fish Plaza from 1987.
• Jones Plaza from 1966.

It goes by the following structures:

• The Downtown Aquarium, opened in 2003.

• Wortham Theater Center from 1987.
• The Lyric Center from 1983.
• The Alley Theatre from 1969.
• Jones Hall from 1966.

One will see the statues of:

• The Seven Wonders from 1998 by local artist Melvin Chin (1951 – present).
• Virtuoso from 1983, the 36-foot tall cello player by David Adickes (1927 – present). This is the second most popular statue in Houston.
• The Dancer, a ballerina donated in 1955 and created by Marcello Mascherini (1906 – 1983).

You will also see The Bubble (if it is working) from 1998 by Dean Ruck (1962 – present).

3

E3

2.5

City Hall to Washington Avenue and Congress Street.
All of the above plus the:

• George Herbert Walker Bush (1924 – 2018) statue by Chas Fagan (1966 – present), with reliefs by Wei-li “Willy” Wang (c. 1940 – present) and dedicated on December 2, 2004.
• James Baker, III (1930 – present) statue also by Chas Fagan and dedicated on October 26, 2010.

You will also go by the Houston Ballet Center for Dance from 2011.

4

E4

3.0

All of the above plus EITHER visit the City Council Chambers by appointment only

OR lunch at a restaurant in Bayou Place or some other close area.

The City Council has open meetings on Tuesdays beginning at 1:30 PM and on Wednesdays at 9:00 AM. Otherwise, visiting the Chambers is by appointment, only.

5

E5

3.5

All of the above.

6

E6

4.5

For groups of 10 or more people.

#

Tour

Hours

Theme – Historical and Contemporary Buildings from 1893 through the present.

1

F1

1.5

City Hall and McKinney Street to Main Street to Walker Street.
It goes by the following parks:

• Martha Hermann Square Park and reflecting pond.
• Tranquility Park from 1979.

You will walk by the:

• 6-floor Jesse H. Jones Central Library from 1975.
• 4-floor Julia B. Ideson Library from 1924.
• 50 floor former One Shell Plaza from 1971.
• 71-floor Wells Fargo Plaza from 1983, formerly the Allied Bank Plaza.
• 33-floor Kinder Morgan Building from 1963 and rehabilitated on the first three floors in 2011, formerly the Tenneco Building.
• 24-floor 919 Milam from 1956, formerly the Bank of the Southwest and Bank One Building.
• 36-floor Reliant Energy Plaza from 2003.
• Red Line METRORail tracks from 2004.
• 24-floor International Bank of Commerce (IBC) from 1947, formerly City National Bank.
• 11-floor Kirby Lofts from 2005.
• 5-floor Holy Cross Chapel found in 1982, the building was from 1929, formerly The Smart Shop.
• 25-floor Commerce Towers from 1929.
• 19-floor Mellie Esperson Building from 1942.
• 26-floor 777 Walker Avenue from 1972, formerly the Two Shell Plaza.
• 27-floor Bob Lanier Public Works Building from 1968, formerly the Electric Tower.

You will see from a distance the:

• 55-floor Enterprise Plaza from 1980, formerly the First International Plaza and 1100 Louisiana Building,
• 50-floor Chevron 1 building from 1983, formerly the Enron 1 Building and Four Allen Center,
• 40-floor Chevron 2 building from 2002, formerly the Enron 2 Building,
• 31-floor Hyatt Regency Hotel with Spindletop from 1972,
• 50-floor Heritage Plaza from 1987, formerly Texaco Heritage Plaza, and Chevron Heritage Plaza,
• 43-floor abandoned ExxonMobil Building from 1963, formerly the Exxon Building and the Humble Oil Building,
• 47-floor CenterPoint Energy Plaza from 1973, formerly the Reliant Building and 1100 Milam,
• 35-floor Total Plaza from 1972, formerly the United Gas Building,

2

F2

2.0

City Hall and McKinney Street to Main Street to Rusk Street.
All of the above plus the:

• 10-floor 812 Main Street from 1950. This was the prominent department store Battelstein’s until 1980. It is covered with pop art and has several broken windows high above.
• 46-floor BG Group Place from 2011, formerly MainPlace.
• 16-floor JW Marriott Hotel since 2014, from 1910, formerly the Samuel F. Carter Building and Second National Bank Building. This was Houston’s tallest building for 16 years. See the griffin. In 1925, 9 additional floors were built.
• 36-floor J. P. Morgan Chase Building from 1929, formerly the Gulf Oil Building, home of Sakowitz Brothers, formerly Texas Commerce Bank Building, and the site where Charlotte Allen lived in the mid-1800s. This was Houston’s tallest building for 34 years.
• 32-floor Niels Esperson Building from 1927. This was Houston’s tallest building for 2 years.
• 36-floor Pennzoil Place from 1975, formerly the Pennzoil – Zapata Towers.
• 56-floor Bank of America from 1983, formerly Nations Bank and RepublicBank Center.
• 13-floor Bob Casey Federal Building from 1962, formerly the Federal Office Building and U. S. Courthouse.,

3

F3

2.5

City Hall and McKinney Street to Main Street to Capitol and back.
All of the above plus:

• The 10-floor Capitol Lofts from 1908.
• The 8-floor St. Germain Lofts from 1911. Its first floor has the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium that claims to have the most beers in Houston.
• The 75-floor J. P. Morgan Chase Tower from 1982, formerly the Texas Commerce Tower. This has been the tallest building in Texas since it was built.
• Joan Miro’s (1893 – 1983) Personage and Birds statue from 1970. It was installed in 1982.
• Jones Hall from 1966. It is the home of the symphony. It formerly was the home for the ballet, opera, and musicals.
• Jones Plaza from 1966.The Dancer, a ballerina donated in 1955 and created by Marcello Mascherini (1906 – 1983).

4

F4

3.0

City Hall and McKinney Street to Main Street to Texas Avenue to San Jacinto Street and back along Capitol Street.
All of the above plus EITHER:

• The 48-floor 609 Main from 2017. This is nicknamed the Batman Building or the Winged Building.
• Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral from 1893. It has a Tiffany stained-glass window and a Cajun cafeteria called Treebeard’s in the Cloister.
• The 22-floor Magnolia Hotel Houston from 1926, formerly the Post-Dispatch Building. This was the tallest building in Houston for 1 year.
• The 10-floor Keystone Lofts from 1920.

OR lunch at a restaurant along the path.

5

F5

3.5

All of the above.

6

F6

4.5

For groups of 10 or more people.

#

Tour

Hours

Theme – Houston’s founding in 1836 through 1913, the oldest part of the original Houston.

1

G1

1.5

Buffalo Bayou to Congress Street, and Louisiana Street to Main Street.
See the following parks:

• Allen’s Landing where the Allen family landed on August 30, 1836. This is where Houston was created. It was redeveloped in the 1980s.
• Market Square Park – It was redeveloped in 2008. The first four city hall buildings were located here from 1841 to 1939. It has a Greek restaurant, works of art, a 9/11 memorial, and a dog park.

Buildings on this tour include the:

• 9-floor Beer Cellar from 1901, formerly the Southern Pacific Building and the site of the former Floyd Hotel.
• 3-floor Islamic Da’wah Center since 2002, from 1928, formerly the Houston National Bank Building.
• 5-floor Public Services since 2015 and formerly the Houston Cotton Exchange Building from 1885 and another floor was added in 1907. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
• 2-floor former Brewery Tap (1987 – 2017), Magnolia Ballroom AlJ jazz bar, rave bar, and the Magnolia Brewery from 1912. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
• 2-floor former Spaghetti Warehouse and Desel-Boettcher Warehouse from 1903. It is said to be haunted.
• 2-floor La Carafe since approximately 1955, from 1860 and formerly the Kennedy Bakery, a trading post, and possibly a pony express station. A brothel used to be on this property before the current structure was erected.
• 3-floor Hearsay Gastro Lounge from 1889, formerly the Kennedy Corner Building and the Twelve Spot Bar. It used to extend to the vacant corner lot.
• 3-story former W. L. Foley Dry Goods Company Building from 1889.
• 12-floor Hotel Icon by Marriott from 1912, formerly Union National Bank Building.
• 8-floor Franklin Lofts and The Corinthian from 1905, 1909, and 1925, formerly First National Bank Building.
• 6-floor former Commercial National Bank Building from 1904.

From a distance, see the:

• University of Houston (UH) Downtown campus.
• Harris County Jail, opened on January 23, 2003..

Other sites include the:

• Buffalo Bayou.
• White Oak Bayou.
• Donnellan Crypt from between 1849 to 1867. The four bodies were exhumed and relocated in 1901.
• Remnants of an old 1890s bridge under the current bridge.

2

G2

2.0

Buffalo Bayou to Preston Street, and Louisiana Street to Fannin Street.
All of the above plus:

• The old fire bell from 1876 and City Hall clock from 1904.
• The Char Bar and Hollywood Tailors was built circa 1890.
• Warren’s Inn was built circa 1880.
• 2-floor Treebeard’s Cajun restaurant since 1980; the building was erected in 1861, formerly known as the Baker-Travis Building.
• Houston is Inspired mural by Mario Figueroa, Jr. AKA Gonzo247 from 2013. This is a good photo opportunity.
• 2-floor Majestic Metro rehabilitated in 1990, the building was erected in 1926. It was formerly the Ritz Theater.
• 5-floor Kiam Building from 1893, former home to Mia Bella Trattoria.
• Harris County Civil Courthouse from 1910.
• Pillot Building from circa 1860. The former 3-floor building fell apart and was reconstructed in 1990.
• 3-floor former Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks Building from 1889. It also was Nit Noi, a Thai restaurant for several years. It looks like a cave inside.
• Several other bars.

See from a distance the 40-floor Market Square Tower Apartments from April 2017.

3

G3

2.5

Buffalo Bayou to Prairie Street, and Louisiana Street to Fannin Street.
All of the above plus:

• 12-floor former State National Bank Building from 1924.
• 9-floor former Citizens Bank Building and Public National Bank Building from 1925.
• 11-floor Scanlon Building from 1909. This was previously the site of the Texas White House in the 1830s.

4

G4

3.0

Buffalo Bayou to Texas Street, and Louisiana Street to Fannin Street.
All of the above plus EITHER

• Aris Market Square Apartments from 2015.
• New outdoor area of Frank’s Pizza since 2017.
• Frank’s Pizza, remodeled in 1983, built in 1896.
• El Big Bad, opened in the 2010s, remodeled in 2000, and built in 1896
• 17-floor The Rice, formerly the Post Rice Lofts, the Rice Rittenhouse Hotel, and the Rice Hotel from 1913. This was the site the capitol of the Republic of Texas. It is said to be haunted.
• 3-floor Molly’s Pub, formerly Slante’s. It was built in 1920. It is said to be haunted.

OR lunch at a restaurant along the path.

5

G5

3.5

All of the above.

6

G6

4.5

For groups of 10 or more people.