Esperson Cupola
1927 · Downtown
Historic ornamentHouston Architectural Icon Library
These are the original 20 early line-art studies, preserved for comparison rather than approved as site icons. Some drawings are too generic to identify reliably at small sizes. We are testing a simpler, more distinctive treatment for contemporary pages while reserving detailed classical illustrations for architectural history. View the four new silhouette studies →
Julia Ideson Arch
1926 · Downtown
Spanish RevivalGulf Building Crown
1929 · Downtown
Art DecoCourthouse Dome
1910 · Downtown
Beaux-ArtsPennzoil Place
1976 · Downtown
Late modernPei's Five-Sided Tower
1982 · Downtown
I. M. Pei · HinesWilliams Tower
1983 · Uptown
Johnson/Burgee · HinesHines Waterwall
1984 · Uptown
Landmark700 Louisiana Crown
1983 · Downtown
Johnson/Burgee · HinesHeritage Plaza Crown
1987 · Downtown
PostmodernAstrodome
1965 · NRG Park
Mid-century landmarkLovett Hall
1912 · Rice University
Mediterranean / ByzantineSan Jacinto Monument
1939 · La Porte
Art Deco monumentEldorado Ballroom
1939 · Third Ward
Streamline ModerneHidalgo Park Quiosco
1934 · East End
Faux-bois craftBuffalo Bayou Cistern
1926 · Buffalo Bayou
Industrial structureMenil Collection
1987 · Montrose
Late ModernHeights Fire Station
1915 · The Heights
Mission RevivalMarket Square Facade
1800s · Downtown
Victorian commercialS. H. Kress Building
1939 · Downtown
Art DecoPeople Who Shaped Houston
Key collaborators behind the city's architectural identity. Their projects and design signatures can inspire future portrait-free icons and historical features.
Gerald D. Hines
Developer behind Pennzoil Place, the tower at 600 Travis, and Williams Tower. A major force in Houston's high-rise development.
Texas State Historical Association →I. M. Pei
Architect whose firm designed Houston's five-sided JPMorgan Chase Tower at 600 Travis.
Hines project history →Philip Johnson & John Burgee
Architects behind the distinctive Williams Tower and the skyscraper at 700 Louisiana, among other notable Houston projects.
Downtown Houston architectural history →Illustration note: These are simplified, interpretive drawings—not measured reproductions of the buildings or historical evidence. Individual details will be checked against source photographs before final usage. We are exploring designs, not announcing changes to the website's category icons.
People behind the skyline: Gerald D. Hines developed landmark projects with architects including I. M. Pei, Philip Johnson and John Burgee. Their influence is part of the story told by this collection.
Sources: Hines — JPMorgan Chase Tower · Hines — Williams Tower · Downtown Houston — skyline history · Houston historic preservation.