First Ward Architecture Walk

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

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.

Please note 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

Advance ticket purchase is required for the tour; tickets are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. We will not be able to accommodate walk-ups on the day of the tour. There are no refunds for tour tickets.

Registrants will receive parking and check-in information via e-mail.

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.

Do you have an Architecture Walks pass?

If you have joined Preservation Houston and received a pass for a free Architecture Walk, you may redeem the pass for admission to this tour. E-mail tours@preservationhouston.org and we'll be happy to help.

Passes are redeemable subject to ticket availability.