Kirby Mansion demolition halted over missing permit in Houston

Who's involved

• Omair Bashir · registered agent of OB Texas Properties LLC^[1]
• Jennifer Krapal · Executive Director, Preservation Houston^[1]
• Jim Parsons · programs and communications director, Preservation Houston^[1]
• J.S. Price · businessman who built the property's original home^[1]
• John Henry Kirby · purchased property from J.S. Price; East Texas lumber leader^[1]

The facts

1. The Kirby Mansion at 2000 Smith St. is approximately 20,000 square feet and stood for more than 100 years as one of the city's last remaining examples of a Tudor Revival home.^[1]
2. OB Texas Properties LLC purchased the property less than a month before the demolition on Oct. 30, 2026.^[1]
3. Omair Bashir, the registered agent of OB Texas Properties LLC, is also the registered agent of Smith St. C Store LLC and has business connections to Brake Time Corner Market LLC, a convenience store and gas station company.^[1]
4. Smith St C Store LLC applied for and received a liquor license for the property earlier in 2026, according to Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission records.^[1]
5. A sewer disconnection permit was issued for the property on Oct. 14, 2026, and the Texas Department of State Health Services listed an asbestos abatement for the property.^[1]
6. Demolition was halted by the city because the contractor lacked proper demolition permit approval, though other permitting approvals were still required.^[1]
7. The mansion's original home was built in 1894 by businessman J.S. Price, and the Tudor Revival form was constructed in 1926 after John Henry Kirby purchased the property.^[1]

Who said what

• Eric Lezias, person at METRO bus stop He remembered seeing the building throughout his childhood and wondered if it could become a food spot or something better: 'It really is sad to see it gone, but it's how it is in this city. They're tearing down stuff that's ancient.'^[1]
• Jennifer Krapal, Executive Director of Preservation Houston The property will likely turn into a gas station and the building was being demolished without a demolition permit. 'There's a long history, there's a lot of craftsmanship, a lot of significance to this building. And we're losing it to a gas station and convenience store, from what we can tell from all the permits.'^[1]