National Register of Historic Places listings in downtown Houston, Texas facts for kids

This is a list of special buildings and places in downtown Houston, Texas. These places are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important for their history, architecture, or what happened there.

Downtown Houston is the area surrounded by big highways like Interstate 10, Interstate 45, and Interstate 69. You can see where these historic places are on a map by clicking "Map of all coordinates" if you see that option.

Historic Places in Downtown Houston

This section lists many of the cool and old buildings in downtown Houston that are on the National Register of Historic Places. Each one has a unique story!

Important Buildings and Churches

• 1884 Houston Cotton Exchange Building
  • Address: 202 Travis St.
  • Listed: May 6, 1971
  • This building was once a busy place where cotton was traded.

The old Houston Cotton Exchange Building.

• 500 Jefferson Building
  • Address: 500 Jefferson St.
  • Listed: March 6, 2019
  • This is a modern building that is also considered historically important.

The 500 Jefferson Building.

• Annunciation Church
  • Address: 1618 Texas Ave.
  • Listed: November 3, 1975
  • This beautiful church has been a part of Houston's history for a long time.

Annunciation Church in Downtown Houston.

• Antioch Missionary Baptist Church
  • Address: 500 Clay St.
  • Listed: December 22, 1976
  • This church is very important in Houston's African American history.

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.

• Battelstein's
  • Address: 812 Main St.
  • Listed: February 6, 2020
  • This building was once a well-known department store.

The Battelstein's building.

• Beaconsfield
  • Address: 1700 Main St.
  • Listed: March 29, 1983
  • This historic building stands out on Main Street.

The Beaconsfield building.

• James Bute Company Warehouse
  • Address: 711 William St.
  • Listed: July 7, 1994
  • This old warehouse was used by the James Bute Company.

The James Bute Company Warehouse.

• Christ Church
  • Address: 1117 Texas Ave.
  • Listed: June 15, 1979
  • This is a historic church in the heart of downtown.

Christ Church Cathedral.

• City National Bank Building
  • Address: 1001 McKinney Ave.
  • Listed: April 3, 2000
  • This building was once a major bank in the city.

The City National Bank Building.

• Arthur B. Cohn House
  • Address: 900 block of Avenida De Las Americas
  • Listed: November 7, 1985
  • This historic house was moved from its original spot to save it.

The Arthur B. Cohn House.

• Downtown Houston Post Office, Processing and Distribution Center
  • Address: 401 Franklin St.
  • Listed: February 2, 2018
  • This large building has served as Houston's main post office.

• W. L. Foley Building
  • Address: 214-218 Travis St.
  • Listed: October 11, 1978
  • This building is an example of early Houston architecture.

The W. L. Foley Building.

• Gulf Building
  • Address: 710-724 Main St.
  • Listed: August 30, 1983
  • This tall building was once the headquarters for the Gulf Oil Company.

The historic Gulf Building.

• Houston Bar Center Building
  • Address: 723 Main St.
  • Listed: June 26, 2017
  • This building is important to Houston's legal community.

The Houston Bar Center Building.

• Harris County Courthouse of 1910
  • Address: 301 Fannin St.
  • Listed: May 13, 1981
  • This beautiful building served as the main courthouse for Harris County.

The Harris County Courthouse of 1910.

• Hogg Building
  • Address: 401 Louisiana St.
  • Listed: July 14, 1978
  • Also known as Hogg Palace, this building has a unique design.

The Hogg Building.

• Houston City Hall
  • Address: 901 Bagby St.
  • Listed: September 18, 1990
  • This is where Houston's city government works.

Houston City Hall.

• Houston Post-Dispatch Building
  • Address: 609 Fannin
  • Listed: February 14, 2002
  • This building was home to a major Houston newspaper.

The Houston Post-Dispatch Building.

• Humble Oil Building
  • Address: 1212 Main St.
  • Listed: January 27, 1999
  • This skyscraper was built for the Humble Oil company.

The Humble Oil Building.

• Julia Ideson Building
  • Address: 500 McKinney St.
  • Listed: November 23, 1977
  • This is a beautiful old library building.

The Julia Ideson Building.

• Kellum-Noble House
  • Address: 212 Dallas St.
  • Listed: April 3, 1975
  • This is one of the oldest houses in Houston.

The historic Kellum-Noble House.

• Kennedy Bakery
  • Address: 813 Congress St.
  • Listed: July 27, 1979
  • This building was once a famous bakery.

The Kennedy Bakery building.

• Kress Building
  • Address: 705 Main St.
  • Listed: October 4, 2002
  • This building was part of the S. H. Kress and Co. chain of stores.

The Kress Building.

• Main Street/Market Square Historic District
  • Address: Around Buffalo Bayou, Fannin, Texas, and Milam streets
  • Listed: July 18, 1983
  • This is a whole area, not just one building, that is important for its history.

Market Square in Houston.

• McKee Street Bridge
  • Address: McKee St. and Buffalo Bayou
  • Listed: September 3, 2002
  • This old bridge crosses over Buffalo Bayou.

The McKee Street Bridge.

• Melrose Building
  • Address: 1121 Walker
  • Listed: September 17, 2014
  • This building is known for its unique design.

The Melrose Building.

• Merchants and Manufacturers Building
  • Address: University of Houston–Downtown, 1 Main St.
  • Listed: September 17, 1980
  • This building is now part of the University of Houston–Downtown.

The Merchants and Manufacturers Building.

• National Biscuit Company Building
  • Address: 15 N. Chenevert
  • Listed: February 20, 1998
  • This building was once a factory for the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco).

The National Biscuit Company Building.

• Old Houston National Bank
  • Address: 202 Main St.
  • Listed: July 17, 1975
  • This building used to be a bank and is now the Islamic Da’wah Center.

The Old Houston National Bank Building.

• Palace Hotel
  • Address: 216 La Branch
  • Listed: September 13, 2006
  • This building was once a grand hotel.

The Palace Hotel.

• Paul Building
  • Address: 1018 Preston Ave.
  • Listed: April 6, 1979
  • The Paul Building is another historic structure in downtown.

The Paul Building.

• Petroleum Building
  • Address: 1314 Texas Avenue
  • Listed: August 8, 2019
  • This building was important for Houston's oil industry.

The Petroleum Building.

• Rice Hotel
  • Address: Main St. and Texas Ave.
  • Listed: June 23, 1978
  • This famous hotel has hosted many important events and people.

The historic Rice Hotel.

• Sam Houston Hotel
  • Address: 1117 Prairie St.
  • Listed: April 17, 2002
  • This hotel is now known as Alden Houston.

The Sam Houston Hotel.

• San Jacinto Street Bridge over Buffalo Bayou
  • Address: San Jacinto St. at Buffalo Bayou
  • Listed: October 16, 2007
  • This bridge is another historic crossing over Buffalo Bayou.

The San Jacinto Street Bridge.

• Scanlan Building
  • Address: 405 Main St.
  • Listed: May 23, 1980
  • The Scanlan Building is a notable part of Houston's downtown skyline.

The Scanlan Building.

• South Texas National Bank
  • Address: 215 Main St.
  • Listed: December 8, 1978
  • This bank building was unfortunately taken down in 1983.

• Southwestern Bell Capitol Main Office
  • Address: 1121 Capitol St. & 1114 Texas Ave.
  • Listed: August 25, 2016
  • This building was once the main office for Southwestern Bell.

The Southwestern Bell Capitol Main Office.

• State National Bank Building
  • Address: 412 Main St.
  • Listed: August 11, 1982
  • This building also served as a bank in Houston's past.

The State National Bank Building.

• Stowers Building
  • Address: 820 Fannin
  • Listed: June 3, 2015
  • The Stowers Building is a historic landmark.

The Stowers Building.

• Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks Building
  • Address: 301 Main St.
  • Listed: June 20, 1974
  • This building is named after its original occupants.

The Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks Building.

• Texas Company Building
  • Address: 1111 Rusk
  • Listed: April 2, 2003
  • This building was important to the Texas Company.

The Texas Company Building.

• Texas State Hotel
  • Address: 720 Fannin
  • Listed: January 10, 2008
  • This building was once a busy hotel.

The Texas State Hotel.

• U.S. Customhouse
  • Address: 701 San Jacinto St.
  • Listed: August 28, 1974
  • This building was where customs duties were collected.

The U.S. Customhouse.

• Union Station
  • Address: 501 Crawford St.
  • Listed: November 10, 1977
  • This was once a major train station in Houston.

Union Station in Houston.

• Willow Street Pump Station
  • Address: University of Houston–Downtown, 811 N. San Jacinto St.
  • Listed: May 27, 2004
  • This old pump station is now part of the University of Houston–Downtown.

The Willow Street Pump Station.

Former Historic Places

Sometimes, buildings that were once on the National Register of Historic Places are removed from the list. This can happen if they are torn down or changed too much.

• Macatee Building
  • Address: 101 Austin St.
  • Listed: May 24, 1984
  • Removed: April 15, 1991

The Macatee Building before it was delisted.

• Pillot Building
  • Address: 1006 Congress Ave.
  • Listed: June 13, 1974
  • Removed: October 28, 1994
  • This building collapsed in 1988, but it was rebuilt using some of the original parts!

The Pillot Building.