In 1925 Ima Hogg and her brothers Will and Mike picked 14 acres of woods and ravines in a bend of Buffalo Bayou. Architect John Staub built her house there in 1927 and 1928, and she spent decades filling it with the best American furniture, silver, ceramics and paintings she could find, made between 1620 and 1870. She gave all of it to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in 1957, and it opened to the public in 1966. Today nearly 2,600 objects fill 28 period rooms that walk you from Colonial New England to the Victorian parlor. The gardens matter just as much. Hogg treated them as outdoor rooms for living, planted magnolias and camellias, and is credited with bringing azaleas to Houston. In 2001 Bayou Bend became the first formal public garden in Texas to go organic. Start at the Kilroy Visitor Center on Memorial Drive for the orientation films and the Hogg Family Legacy Room.
What to expect
- Park free at the Kilroy Visitor Center, then cross a swaying footbridge to the house.
- Garden paths have stairs and rough ground; call ahead if you need mobility help.
- Personal photos are fine; no flash, tripods, selfie sticks or drones.
What to do
- Join the docent-led Highlights Tour of the period rooms (included with admission), or go self-guided with the phone audio guide
- Walk the formal garden rooms Ima Hogg laid out between 1934 and 1942, then the natural woodland ravines
- See the Hogg Family Legacy Room in the Kilroy Visitor Center before crossing to the house
- 14 acresGardens
- Nearly 2,600 in 28 roomsObjects on view
- 1957Given to MFAH
- 1966Opened to public