Houston rips down Kirby Mansion after new owner secures liquor license
Demolition of the 20,000-square-foot historic home began Friday after a company linked to gas stations purchased the property, though officials paused work due to a missing permit.
By Kofi Costa ·
Crushers began tearing down the Kirby Mansion on Friday morning.
The site at 2000 Smith Street had held the roughly 20,000-square-foot structure for more than 100 years. It stood as one of the few remaining Tudor Revival homes in Houston. The property changed hands less than a month before the wrecking balls arrived.
Public records show that OB Texas Properties LLC purchased the estate. The registered agent for this entity is Omair Bashir. Bashir also serves as the registered agent for Smith St. C Store LLC. He holds business ties to Brake Time Corner Market LLC, a company that operates convenience stores and gas stations. Bashir and his firms did not answer repeated requests for comment on development plans for the land.
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission documents indicate that Smith St. C Store LLC applied for and received a liquor license for the property earlier this year. Preservation Houston, a local non-profit group, noted that a sewer disconnection permit was issued on October 14. The same organization reported that the Texas Department of State Health Services listed an asbestos abatement for the site.
Jennifer Krapal, the executive director of Preservation Houston, spoke on Friday during a local radio program. She said the building will likely become a gas station. Krapal stated that the site holds long history and craftsmanship. She added that the community is losing these elements to a convenience store based on the available permits.
Demolition work stopped by late Friday morning. Krapal said the pause likely resulted from a lack of proper permission. She explained that a specific demolition permit was required. The construction crew began work without that document. City officials arrived and halted the remaining destruction. Krapal said only a few administrative steps remained to complete the process.
The history of the property dates to 1894, when businessman J.S. Price built the original home. Jim Parsons, a communications director for Preservation Houston, noted that the current Tudor Revival structure was not built until 1926. John Henry Kirby bought the house from Price. Kirby was a major figure in the East Texas lumber industry. He hired architect James Ruskin Bailey to rebuild the property into a 36-room residence.
Parsons said some believe parts of the original 1892 home still exist inside the later structure. He cited a local belief that the Kirby family was superstitious about living in a completely new house. Parsons described the area as a former elite residential district in late 19th and early 20th century Houston. He compared the neighborhood to today's River Oaks. The mansion has not been open to visitors for at least 10 years. Kirby Drive and the Upper Kirby area take their names from the family that owned the house.
