We’re taking a tour through time, exploring some of the most historic buildings in Houston. Which ones have survived as the city evolves?

Houston was incorporated in 1837. As the city’s population increased, people needed places to live, work, and play. From homes for residents to churches and businesses, there was a surge in architecture in the 1800s. These buildings in Houston have a rich history and a charm that has shaped the city into what it is today.   

The city’s rapidly rising population—the number of Houston residents grew 134% from 1980 to 2021—has led to some buildings being torn down to make way for more housing. Weather-related events, such as hurricanes and tropical storms, have also contributed to the decline of older buildings over the years. 

Yet there’s still some great history to be found around the city. Here are nine of the oldest buildings in Houston proper that you can visit today.

1. Kellum-Noble House—1847

The oldest surviving building in Houston, the Kellum-Noble House, retains quite a bit of its classic architecture. It remains on its original foundation and features its original brick walls, made with mud from Nathaniel Kellum’s brickyard. Kellum arrived in Houston in 1839 and spent several years in the home. Later, the Noble family took over, with Zerviah Nobel and her daughter Catherine using the house to run one of the area’s first schools.

Since the Nobles moved out, the home has belonged to several organizations, including the City of Houston itself. The Kellum-Noble House was part of Houston’s first park and even its first zoo. In 1954, the Heritage Society was created to preserve the home and allow future generations to admire the oldest building in Houston. Check out a tour of the house below.

2. Nichols-Rice-Cherry House—1850

Just a few years after the construction of the Kellum-Noble House, the Nichols-Rice-Cherry House was built. The first inhabitant was Ebenezer Nichols, the wonderfully named business partner of Ebenezer Nichols (who also later lived in the house). The final resident of the house was Emma Richardson Cherry, who not only lived in the home but also taught art out of it.

Today, you can take a tour of the home. You’ll get to see the furnishings of Rice, who was one of the wealthiest men in Houston at the time. No wonder Rice University is named after him! The house also has art supplies and paintings from Cherry’s studio, so it’s a nice collection of its namesakes.

3. La Carafe—1860

La Carafe was originally built in 1847, though the building on 813 Congress has been operating since 1860. Originally called the Kennedy Bakery, the establishment evolved into the Kennedy Trading Post. It also served as a drugstore and hair salon before becoming La Carafe in the 1960s. Historians believe it is the oldest continuously used commercial property in Houston.

La Carafe is a speakeasy that only serves beer and wine. Because of the antique cash register, you have to pay with cash, adding a nice nostalgia kick. Oh, and depending on who you ask (or maybe from a first-hand account), the spot is haunted. You might bump into a seance going on upstairs, or you’ll witness untouched bottles falling off shelves. Visitors have also reported hearing a child playing with a ball upstairs or spotting a former manager peering through the window. The building also holds a distinct honor for a bar, as it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  

4. Annunciation Church—1869

When the congregation at St. Vincent’s Church—the first Catholic church in Houston—began to get too large, Father Joseph Querat and Galveston Bishop Claude M. Debuis started preparing for a new location. Nicholas J. Clayton designed the building, pulling from European Gothic styles. The parishioners chose “Church of the Annunciation” for the new name.

St. Vincent’s closed in 1878, making Annunciation Church the oldest operating church in Houston. The church received two smaller twin bell towers in 1884 and, beginning in 1906, served as a school for nearly 80 years. Other additions include a pipe organ in 1924 and multiple marble shrines in the following years. Over time, Annunciation Church has required a few repairs, although it remains in great shape and continues to hold regular Masses. 

5. Houston Cotton Exchange Building—1884

Eugene Heiner designed the three-story Houston Cotton Exchange Building in 1884, a work commissioned by the exchange and Board of Trade. The building received a fourth floor in 1907 during a renovation, and Houston Cotton Exchange used the location for its operations for 40 years.

The building remained dormant for nearly half a century before John Hannah and Jesse Edmundson III bought it in 1973. After a decade of restaurants, the pair sold it. Hannah’s work received a Good Brick Award in 1979—if you visit the building today, you can see many bricks along the eye-catching exterior.

6. Sweeney, Coombs, and Fredericks Building—1889

We love a good corner building, and the Sweeney, Coombs, and Fredericks Building, a late Victorian commercial building with Eastlake and turret elements, is one of the finest in Houston. In fact, it’s a rare Victorian-style building that’s still standing. John Jasper Sweeney and Edward L. Coombs commissioned George E. Dickey to design the building on 301 Main Street in 1889. Gus Fredericks joined the crew shortly before the building was finished. 

For quite some time, the building housed Sweeney and Coombs Jewelry, a company that’s still in business. Perhaps there’s a loose jewel or two within the walls? Harris County acquired the condemned building in 1974, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 23, 1978. 

7. Christ Church Cathedral—1893

The Episcopal Diocese of Texas was established in 1839, before Texas was even a state. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that the Christ Church Cathedral is Houston’s first and oldest chartered congregation and among the oldest still-standing buildings in Texas. William Fairfax Gray, who grew up in Fairfax County, Virginia, moved to Texas to start a law business before establishing the congregation.

Christ Church Cathedral experienced a fire in 1938, though the building emerged largely unscathed. The Late Gothic Revival architectural style is quite stunning. The building sits at 1117 Texas Avenue in downtown Houston. Residents and visitors alike can attend mass within the cathedral. 

8. Kiam Building—1893

Clothier Ed Kiam commissioned H.C. Holland to design a building for him, and Holland opted for a five-story, Romanesque Revival-style look. The Kiam Building holds the distinction of being Houston’s first building to operate an electric elevator; it was also wired for electric lighting.

Kiam operated his store, a haberdashery, on the ground floor. As a savvy businessman, he leased rooms on the upper floors to other folks who needed office space. Kiam’s business eventually moved out, and Sakowitz, a Houston retailer for nearly 90 years, took over. The building underwent a restoration that was completed in 1981, with Barry Moore earning a Good Brick Award for his work.

9. Harvard Elementary—1898

Harvard Elementary, which opened in the Houston Heights area on September 18, 1898, is the oldest continuously open campus in Houston. The school’s initial class featured 30 students across five grades and 50 desks, resulting in what may have been the easiest games of musical chairs ever. One woman, Annie Thielan, taught all of the classes. The school was also an early instance of a Parent-Teacher Association with the founding of the Mother’s Club of Harvard School in 1910. 

In 1921, Harvard Elementary joined the Houston ISD. The main portion of the campus was demolished and expanded in 1980, though visitors can still see parts of the original structure today.