Banks and business blocks in Houston
This tour visits the commercial core, with banks, business blocks, stores and exchange buildings. Most were built to hold shops at street level and offices above.
10 stops, 1.1 miles end to end. Of the stops, 2 are historic districts rather than single buildings.
Distances are straight lines between the coordinates in the National Park Service Register data, so the walk on the street will be longer. Nobody has walked or checked this as a route, and a listing does not mean a place is open to visitors. Stops last changed Oct 16, 2026.
Map
Coordinates come from the National Park Service National Register spatial data, or from Wikidata where the spatial data has no point. The solid line joins the stops in walking order and is not a street route. Listings with a restricted address in the Register are never mapped and never become stops. Data refreshed November 02, 2026.
Walking order
- 1First City National Bank1021 Main Street and 1101 Fannin StreetBuildingstart
- 2City National Bank Building1001 McKinney Ave.Building · listed 20000.2 mi from stop 1
- 3Southwestern Bell Capitol Main Office1121 Capitol St. & 1114 Texas Ave.Building · listed 20160.2 mi from stop 2
- 4State National Bank Building412 Main St.Building · listed 19820.2 mi from stop 3
- 5Main Street/Market Square Historic DistrictRoughly bounded by Buffalo Bayou, Fannin, Texas, and MilamstsHistoric district · listed 1983228 ft from stop 4
- 6Main Street/Market Square Historic District (Boundary Increase)110 Milam, 112-114 Milam, 202-204 Milam, 715 FranklinHistoric district · listed 1984same block from stop 5
- 7South Texas National Bank215 Main St.Building · listed 19780.1 mi from stop 6
- 8Old Houston National Bank202 Main St.Building · listed 1975209 ft from stop 7
- 91884 Houston Cotton Exchange Building202 Travis St.Building · listed 1971371 ft from stop 8
- 10Downtown Houston Post Office, Processing and Distribution Center401 Franklin St.Building0.2 mi from stop 9
1.1 straight-line miles over 9 legs.
Taking it along
- Download the route as GPXFor a handheld GPS or a phone app
- Open all 10 stops in Google MapsSet the mode to walking once it opens
- Open the first stop in Apple MapsThe Apple Maps web link carries one destination, so this is stop 1 only
Other walks in Houston
- Colonial Revival houses in Houston15 stops · 1.2 milesColonial Revival reworks the symmetry, shutters and classical doorways of American colonial building.
- American Craftsman houses in Houston11 stops · 1.7 milesAmerican Craftsman work shows exposed rafter tails, tapered porch posts, visible joinery and built-in woodwork.
- Queen Anne houses in Houston15 stops · 1.8 milesQueen Anne is a late Victorian manner of irregular plans, steep roofs, turrets, bay windows and wrapping porches.
- Houses and mansions in Houston15 stops · 0.6 milesThe route links the houses the register carries in Houston. Many are private homes and the stops are meant to be seen from the sidewalk.
Local history books for Houston
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Guidebooks to historic places in Texas
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.