Demolition of the Kirby Mansion in Houston began Friday morning. The roughly 20,000-square-foot home at 2000 Smith St. had stood for more than 100 years and was one of the city's last remaining Tudor Revival homes. Houston Public Media reported that OB Texas Properties LLC bought the property less than a month earlier. Public records show the company's registered agent, Omair Bashir, is also tied to Smith St. C Store LLC and Brake Time Corner Market LLC, a convenience store and gas station company. Bashir and his companies have not responded to repeated requests for comment about plans for the site.
Preservation Houston said a sewer disconnection permit was issued for the property on Oct. 14 and that the Texas Department of State Health Services listed an asbestos abatement. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission records show Smith St C Store LLC received a liquor license for the property earlier this year. Preservation Houston Executive Director Jennifer Krapal said the property will likely become a gas station. The property was not designated as historic.
By Friday morning, half of the southwest facade was gone. Krapal said there was no demolition permit, and the work appeared to pause by late morning after the city stepped in, she said. A passerby, Eric Lezias, said he had watched the building since childhood. "It really is sad to see it gone," he said.