Demolition Begins at Houston’s Historic Kirby Mansion

The approximately 20,000-square-foot mansion on Smith Street was among Houston’s last remaining Tudor Revival homes. By Friday morning, part of its southwest facade had been torn away, and a second-floor shelf of leather-bound books remained visible inside. Demolition had stopped by late morning, leaving much of the building damaged but still standing.

According to Jennifer Krapal, head of Preservation Houston, the work may have been halted because crews began without a demolition permit. The city requires approvals for demolition, she said, and the remaining steps still need to be completed. The property had received a sewer disconnection permit, while asbestos abatement was scheduled to run through November 6.

The property was purchased around October 1 by OB Texas Properties LLC. Public records list Omair Bashir as the company’s registered agent; records also connect him to convenience-store and gas-station businesses. Bashir and his companies had not responded to requests for comment. A liquor license application for the site was approved earlier this year. Krapal said the permits suggest the property may become a gas station and convenience store, but the site’s future has not been confirmed.

The original home was built in 1894 by businessman J.S. Price. Lumber businessman John Henry Kirby later acquired the property, and architect James Ruskin Bailey rebuilt it into the Tudor Revival mansion in 1926. The home was named for Kirby, whose name is also attached to Kirby Drive and the Upper Kirby area. It had no historic designation and had not been open to visitors for at least a decade.