- Neighborhood
- Downtown
- Year built
- 1893
- Style
- Gothic Revival
- Era
- 19th Century
- Architect
- Silas McBee
- Designations
- National Register of Historic Places · City of Houston Landmark
Significance
Consecrated in stages beginning in the 1890s, Christ Church Cathedral is the oldest continuously used religious structure in Houston and serves as the mother church, or seat, of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. Designed by architect Silas McBee in the Gothic Revival style, it is built of sandstone and features stained glass windows by Tiffany Studios among its notable interior elements. The congregation itself dates to 1839, making it one of the earliest established churches in the Republic of Texas era city, and its full city block, known as the Cathedral Close, preserves an unusually intact ecclesiastical campus amid downtown's modern towers. The cathedral has hosted state funerals and civic memorial services throughout Houston's history and remains an active parish serving downtown residents and workers.
Climate risks tracked
The cathedral's sandstone masonry walls and Gothic tracery are susceptible to hurricane winds, which can crack aging stone and dislodge decorative pinnacles, as downtown buildings experienced during Hurricane Ike. Its stained glass windows, including the Tiffany installations, are especially vulnerable to moisture intrusion during wind driven rain, contributing to humidity and mold risks inside the sanctuary and surrounding Cathedral Close structures. The church's downtown site near Buffalo Bayou's floodplain also exposes its lower level and undercroft spaces to urban flooding during intense storms like Hurricane Harvey, threatening historic furnishings and archival records stored there.
Use the preservation assistant to talk through retrofit strategies for these specific threats.
Location
Nearby landmarks
Preservation Assistant
Grounded in Christ Church Cathedral