Part of the historic Kirby mansion on Smith Street in Midtown was demolished Friday before city officials halted the work over permitting issues, according to preservationists. Neighbors told ABC13 they contacted the City of Houston after seeing crews tear down the home. A large section of the facade was torn away, and debris was piled outside the property.
A city inspector posted a red-tag stop-work order, citing a lack of the proper demolition permit. A neighbor told ABC13 the property owner later obtained the required permit, which could allow work to resume as early as Saturday.
Preservationists said the home was bought by Texas lumber magnate John Henry Kirby in the 1890s and remodeled into its current form in 1926. Advocates said the mansion hosted then-President George H.W. Bush and world leaders during the 1990 Economic Summit. Activists working to save the home said the partial demolition is another loss of a historic structure in Houston.