TRAVEL I ITINERARY

The National , Texas T r u s t ' s 2 0 1 6 CULTURAL TREASURES AND RICH HISTORY AWAIT VISITORS TO TEXAS' BIGGEST CITY c."J^,7„ce will take place by Meghan Drueding in Houston.

Modernist architecture can find buildings by Philip Top to bottom: city in America. Yes, the eye-popping Johnson, Mies van der Robe, and Gunnar Birkerts in A v i e w o v e r Buffalo Bayou statistics about its sheer size are true: It Houston, not to mention an Isamu Noguchi-designed toward the could fit Boston, Miami, Minneapolis, New Houstonjust might be the most surprising sculpture garden. downtown York, San Francisco, and Seattle within its far-flung The booming energy and health care sectors have Houston skyline; borders. But this sprawling Texas metropolis is large helped lift Houston's economy; last year, Forbes The Astrodome, a N a t i o n a l on the cultural and historical side, too. magazine named it "America's Fastest-Growing City." Treasure of the Locals proudly spout off details about the city's Infrastructure is keeping up: A light-rail system National Trust. founding in 1836 by the Aliens, two brothers from opened in 2004, with two new lines added last year, New York, on a plot of land near Buffalo Bayou. The and a 4-year-old bike share program, Houston Heritage Society at Park features 10 B-cycle, is thriving. restored buildings from different eras in Houston Preservation got the scoop from three local history, as well as rotating exhibitions that often residents—Emily Ardoin, buildings curator highlight the area's vast ethnic diversity. Art lovers at The Heritage Society; James Glassman, from all over the world flock to see the jewel-like founder of Houstorian, a preservation and Menil Collection and the Rothko Chapel. history advocacy group; and Karen Lantz, Art also takes center stage at Project Row Houses, an architect and founding president of a community-based nonprofit in the Third Ward Houston Mod—about their favorite spots neighborhood that has rehabilitated old houses into to eat, stay, and visit. exhibition space, studios, and workshops. Fans of Se« next page for local recommendations >

WINTER 20T6 I SavingPlaces.org SI TRAVEL I ITINERARY

EMILY ARDOIN KAREN LANTZ JAMES GLASSMAN

B U I L D I N G S C U R A T O R , ARCHITECT, FOUNDER, T H E H E R I T A G E S O C I E T Y LANTZ FULL CIRCLE HOUSTORIAN.ORG

EAT: The number of E A T : T h e P a s s a n d EAT: About 40 miles restaurants in Houston is P r o v i s i o n s i s i n a 1 9 5 0 s from [downtown] mind-boiling—there are building that used to be Houston is Gilhooley's so many cultural commu a deli and warehouse. ^ JM Restaurant, a little nities here from different I t ' s t w o r e s t a u r a n t s shack surrounded by countries, and so much w i t h t w o J a m e s B e a r d live oaks on the edge of variety. On Bellatre Boulevard, there's Award-nominated chefs. One part is Galveston Bay. I love to go out there and a big concentration of really good Asian expensive and fancy, and then there is eat fried oysters outside. When people restaurants. a casual part. UchI is a sushi restaurant come here they always want to go eat in another vintage building. Both are Tex-Mex food, but I like to remind in Montrose, one of the most walkable them that Houston is a Gulf Coast city neighborhoods in Houston. through and through. STAY: As far as where to stay, my STAY: For hotels I go toward older favorite is the Hotel ZaZa, which used stuff. I'd say The Sam Houston Hotel to be the Warwick [a hotel that opened [a Historic Hotel of America] down in 1926]. It's a beautiful hotel right in the town. There's also La Colombe d'Or center of the Museum District, on the in Montrose. It's a fun place for light rail. You get the beauty of Hermann weddings, in an old mansion. P a r k a n d v i e w s t o d o w n t o w n . DO: Take DO: Hands down, you've got to a pontoon visit the Menil Collection. Renzo boat tour STAY: The Lancaster Hotel [a Piano designed it and it's a world- of Buffalo Historic Hotel of America] opened in class building. It's free! The Menil Bayou. The the 1920s as the Auditorium Hotel. Collection Bookstore is across t o u r s a r e r u n Hotel ICON is in a historic bank, the the street in a 1920s bungalow. by the Buffalo 1911 Union National Bank, that's been You can also have lunch at Bistro Bayou Partner converted. Both are a few blocks from Menil. On University ship and pass , in downtown campus, see the James Turrell by Allen's H o u s t o n ' s H i s t o r i c D i s t r i c t . Twilight Epiphany Skyspace. Landing, our DO: The light rail takes you all the Go at sunrise or sunset. The Julia Plymouth way down to the Astrodome, which Ideson Building [part of the Rock. You get everyone involved in Houston preserva system] t h i s w o n d e r tion is hopeful about. The Heritage downtown is incredibly beautiful. ful tour of Society is in the oldest city park in It's classic elegant Houston and has Houston, where you see the physical Houston and also has one of the oldest won all kinds of preservation awards. remnants of our history. buildings in Houston, the Kellum- You can do high and low in the same Noble House from 1847. That's old for day: Wander around the Menil Collec us! The Orange Show is a landmark. tion and then walk over to the West It was built from 1956 through about Alabama Ice House. It's a former 1980 partly out of cast-off pieces from grocery store where people used to buildings being torn down. It's go to buy ice. It's fun to sit outside bizarre, but really colorful and on picnic benches and drink beer vibrant. The nonprofit that j next to a college professor or maintains it also maintains ih-, a barber or a house painter. the Beer Can House, which Everyone's there. is covered in flattened beer cans. I really like going down to Galveston, just about an Clockwise from top: Market Square Park; Sculptures at the hour from downtown Hous Menil Collection; Provisions, the ton. On the way you have casual portion of The Pass and NASA, which you can visit. Provisions restaurant.

52 preservation i winter 2016