The buildings, people and decisions that shaped Houston—from early commercial and civic landmarks to the towers of the 1980s. A source-linked historical companion to Going Up! City's coverage of what's coming next.
A closer look at the cupolas, crowns, arches and rooflines that give Houston landmarks their character. These are the original Sheet A illustrations, each linked to architectural background—not generic icons.
The Esperson Building’s domed cupola and open colonnade bring an Italian Renaissance-inspired silhouette to Downtown Houston. Its elaborate crown distinguishes the landmark from the city's glass towers.
Esperson architectural background ↗
Arches and richly detailed Spanish Renaissance Revival features helped define the Julia Ideson Building. The exact arch represented in this early illustration is still being checked against the building.
Julia Ideson building background ↗
Philip Johnson and John Burgee used sloping glass planes to give Pennzoil Place its remarkable paired silhouette. The unusual geometry is the building’s visual signature.
Texas State Historical Association ↗
The tower’s strongly articulated upper stories and rooftop beacon make its crown an Uptown landmark. This illustration is an initial study; its setbacks and vertical details need further correction.
Hines project history ↗
The Astrodome’s enormous, shallow roof was a milestone in enclosed-stadium engineering. Its ribbed structural geometry is distinctive even when the rest of the building is cropped away.
Texas State Historical Association ↗
The domed roof, colonnaded drum and lantern crown the historic Harris County Courthouse. These classical elements stand out among Downtown’s modern office towers.
Texas Historical Commission ↗
The Gerald D. Hines Waterwall uses a sweeping semicircular form and cascading water to create an architectural landmark at the foot of Williams Tower.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation ↗
The monument’s massive faceted star tops its stone shaft. Although it appears five-pointed from many views, the three-dimensional star has nine points; this study is awaiting that detail’s refinement.
San Jacinto Museum ↗Editorial illustration studies: the visual style is selected, but some precise architectural details are still under review, particularly Williams Tower, the Astrodome, the San Jacinto star and Julia Ideson. View the full original Sheet A artwork and accuracy notes →
One of the surviving reminders of Houston’s nineteenth-century built environment. Its comparatively modest historic form makes a useful contrast to the skyline that followed.
Read historical source ↗Houston’s commercial expansion produced richly detailed nineteenth-century buildings, including the Cotton Exchange and its Second Empire and Italianate influences.
Read historical source ↗Lovett Hall established an architectural vocabulary of Mediterranean and Byzantine influences recognizable across Rice's historic campus.
Read historical source ↗Spanish Renaissance Revival design brought ornamental stonework and arcades to one of Houston's enduring civic landmarks.
Read historical source ↗The Art Moderne City Hall embodies a different kind of civic monument: restrained massing and stylized late-1930s detail.
Read historical source ↗The Astrodome's huge enclosed stadium and dome gave Houston a global architectural symbol of engineering ambition.
Read historical source ↗Gerald D. Hines and architect Bruce Graham helped initiate a new generation of Houston high-rises with One Shell Plaza.
Read historical source ↗Philip Johnson and John Burgee's paired sloping towers transformed speculative office development into a landmark architectural statement.
Read historical source ↗The five-sided tower designed by I. M. Pei became a defining silhouette of Houston's 1980s building boom.
Read historical source ↗The landmark Uptown tower was designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee and developed by Hines, giving the Galleria area its own skyline anchor.
Read historical source ↗The Menil Collection is a defining late-modern cultural landmark in Houston, with an architectural language distinct from downtown's towers.
Read historical source ↗Helped reshape the skyline through collaborations with distinguished architects; key projects include One Shell Plaza, Pennzoil Place, 600 Travis and Williams Tower.
Source and background ↗Designed the distinctive five-sided skyscraper at 600 Travis, known as JPMorgan Chase Tower.
Source and background ↗Designed Pennzoil Place, Williams Tower and the 1983 building at 700 Louisiana.
Source and background ↗Architect associated with One Shell Plaza, a major Houston early high-rise landmark.
Source and background ↗Editorial standards: historical years refer to reported completion/opening periods, not necessarily exact day-and-month anniversaries. We reserve the label “On This Day” for events with independently verified calendar dates. Entries may be expanded or corrected as new primary documentation is reviewed. This page is separate from live development announcements.