The Alley Theatre, Houston, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Alley Theatre is Houston's long-running resident theater company, based at 615 Texas Avenue in the downtown Theater District. Its stark concrete building, opened in 1968, is one of the most distinctive pieces of architecture in the city center, and the theatre is as well known for its ghost stories as for its stage productions.

The story behind it

The Alley began in 1947, founded by Nina Vance, and grew from a small local troupe into one of the best-known resident theaters in the country. The current home on Texas Avenue was designed by architect Ulrich Franzen and opened in 1968, giving the company a bold, sculptural building in the heart of downtown.

Like many old theaters, the Alley has collected ghost stories. Local legend says the building is haunted, and tales of a spirit connected to a tragedy from the early 1980s are told in Houston. Details vary from teller to teller, so treat them as folklore rather than record. They are the reason the theatre fits so well into a haunted walk through downtown.

What to look for

• The raw, poured-concrete walls and the tall, blocky tower shapes show the late 1960s design clearly, and they look very different from the glass offices around them.
• The theatre sits on Texas Avenue facing the Theater District, so look around for the other performance venues and plazas close by.
• Posters and banners at the entrance show what the company is currently staging, a good reminder that this is a working theater and not a museum.
• Walk around the base of the building and notice how the angular forms change from one side to the next.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes to see the exterior and the surrounding streets, longer if you plan to see a performance.
• Evening is a good time to visit, when the theater district is busy and the building is lit up.
• You can go inside to see a show or visit the lobby area, but check current opening hours and performance schedules before you go.
• The theatre is within walking distance of other downtown sights, so it combines easily with a longer stroll through the area.

See it on a quest

The Alley Theatre is one stop on Haunted Houston: The Cramer Haunting, a self-guided walk through downtown with a ghostly theme. You reach the theatre on foot as part of a longer route, the app tells you about the place when you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. It is a ticketed quest, and one ticket covers the whole group. You can start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join.