Neighbors, preservation advocates and descendants of John Henry Kirby held a candlelight vigil and rally outside the Kirby Mansion at 2000 Smith Street on Sunday evening. The home in Midtown was partially destroyed by demolition. Organizer McKinney, of Mr. McKinney's Historic Houston, said the event was meant to honor the mansion and build a wider effort to protect historic places across Houston. Organizers asked attendees to wear red and white and hoped about 250 people would join hands around the property where sidewalks allowed.
Houston Public Works inspected the property on Friday, Oct. 30, after receiving notice that demolition was underway. According to the city's communications department, inspectors found crews did not have the required demolition permit. They ordered crews to stop, posted a stop-work notice and issued a citation to Iqbal Kaskar for demolition without a permit. Preservation Houston said about half the building had already been torn down when the city inspector arrived.
The city said a plumbing permit for sewer disconnection was obtained Oct. 14, but an Oct. 20 inspection identified corrections that still needed to be made. The city said those corrections and any additional required plumbing permits must receive final approval before a demolition permit can be issued. The city also confirmed the mansion is not designated as a City of Houston landmark or protected landmark.