The Kirby Mansion is seen from Brazos Street on October 30 after about half the building had been destroyed by unpermitted demolition work / photo by Jim Parsons
Demolition began at the Kirby Mansion at 2000 Smith Street this morning without a demolition permit. Approximately half the building had been torn down before a City of Houston inspector arrived and issued a stop-work order.
Preservation Houston strongly condemns the unpermitted demolition of this significant historic building. PH repeatedly sought a meeting with owner OB Texas Properties LLC to discuss preservation and reuse. We also requested access to document the mansion and discuss salvaging irreplaceable architectural features and materials. Those requests went unanswered. Observations at the site indicate that demolition proceeded with interior finishes and fixtures still in place.
Based on observations at the site, demolition of the mansion began with finishes and fixtures intact / photo by Jim Parsons
“We wish the owner had been transparent and honest about the plans for this property and willing to discuss preservation options,” said Jennifer Kapral, executive director of Preservation Houston. “We offered to explore ways to give this building a future. We also asked for the opportunity to document it and discuss salvaging irreplaceable materials if demolition went ahead. We received no response. Houston deserves better than this.”
In an October 6 e-mail, Omair Bashir of OB Texas Properties told PH that law firms were considering leasing the property for office use. He said he would welcome a meeting after returning from international travel at the end of October. PH later learned that planning for a gas station at the mansion site was already well under way when Bashir sent that message. He did not mention those plans, and our subsequent requests for a conversation went unanswered.
Public filings also connect OB Texas Properties to a proposed gas station and retail center that would replace the former Park Place Methodist Church on Broadway. The church, known for its prominent mosaic of The Last Supper, has been the subject of news coverage and neighborhood opposition to its possible demolition.
The Kirby Mansion is one of the few surviving houses from Houston’s once-elite South End neighborhood. The original house was built in 1894 for businessman J.S. Price and purchased by lumber magnate John Henry Kirby in 1896. An extensive 1926 remodeling by architect James Ruskin Bailey produced the 36-room Tudor Revival mansion. Its craftsmanship included a hand-carved oak staircase, stone arches and trim, imported tile and paneling made from trees cut in Kirby’s East Texas forests.
The building later served as headquarters of the Houston-Harris County Red Cross and was restored for corporate offices, demonstrating that it could adapt to new uses while retaining its architectural character.
The mansion has no local, state or federal historic designation. The City of Houston’s Protected Landmark designation offers the strongest protection against demolition, but the property owner must initiate that process. PH cannot compel an owner to seek designation or preserve a building. The lack of historic designation, however, does not remove the requirement to obtain a demolition permit.
“Houstonians need to ask: When is enough enough?” Kapral said. “We can’t keep losing the places that make the city distinctive and assume those losses have no consequences. There’s always a place for growth in Houston, but growth should make this a richer place to live, with room for its history and its future. That takes owners who will engage, a city that will enforce its rules and a community that will continue to insist that our historic places matter.”
PH remains willing to meet with OB Texas Properties to explore opportunities to preserve, document or salvage what remains of the Kirby Mansion.
Also: Jennifer Kapral discussed the demolition and the future of preservation in Houston on today’s Hello Houston on Houston Public Media. Watch on YouTube →
