At a recent Bisnow forum on downtown Houston’s future, developers and city officials discussed how more expertise, financial incentives and city support could make adaptive reuse a more attractive alternative to demolition. The recent loss of the Kirby Mansion was very much on their minds.
Ori Batagower, development and acquisitions director for The Deal Co., was particularly direct about the mansion’s demolition: “We have to preserve structures like that,” he said. “We can’t allow something like that to just go by the way of a wrecking ball.”
The discussion went beyond the Kirby Mansion to consider what Houston could do differently. One suggestion: a city specialist who could help property owners and developers navigate historic tax credits, landmark designations and the permitting process.
Read Maddy McCarty’s Nov. 5 article in Bisnow (free registration required) →