Kyle McClenagan/Houston Public Media
The historic Kirby Mansion in Houston was demolished on Oct. 30, 2026.
The demolition of a historic Houston landmark began Friday morning, less than a month after the property was purchased by a company with apparent ties to the gas station and convenience store industry.
The approximately 20,000-square-foot Kirby Mansion had stood at 2000 Smith St. for more than 100 years and was one of the city’s last remaining examples of a Tudor Revival home. The demolition came only a few weeks after Houston Public Media reported that OB Texas Properties LLC had bought the property.
According to public records, OB Texas Properties LLC’s registered agent, Omair Bashir, 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.
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Bashir and his companies have not responded to repeated requests for comment regarding further development plans for the property.
As of Friday morning, half of the mansion’s southwest facade was already gone. A shelf, decorated with neatly organized leather-bound books, could still be seen in what remained in one of the building’s second-floor rooms.
Kyle McClenagan/Houston Public Media
The historic Kirby Mansion in Houston was demolished on Oct. 30, 2026.
Eric Lezias was waiting at a Houston METRO bus stop on the same block, gazing through the property’s fence at what remained of the mansion. He remembered seeing the “ancient building” throughout his childhood.
“We always thought that it could be something like a food spot or something like that,” Lezias said. “I always wondered that it could be something better, something more. … 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.”
As previously reported by Houston Public Media, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission records show that Smith St C Store LLC applied for and received a liquor license for the property earlier this year.
Last week, Preservation Houston — a non-profit organization that advocates for local historic buildings and neighborhoods — shared that a sewer disconnection permit had been issued for the property on Oct. 14. Additionally, Preservation Houston said that the Texas Department of State Health Services had listed an asbestos abatement for the property.
Speaking on Houston Public Media’s Hello Houston on Friday, Preservation Houston Executive Director Jennifer Krapal said the property will likely turn into a gas station.
“There’s a long history, there’s a lot of craftsmanship, a lot of significance to this building,” Krapal said. “And we’re losing it to a gas station and convenience store, from what we can tell from all the permits.”
Kyle McClenagan/Houston Public Media
The historic Kirby Mansion in Houston was demolished on Oct. 30, 2026.
Though the property did not have a historical designation, according to Krapal, the building’s demolition appeared to have paused by late Friday morning. Krapal said this was likely a result of lacking proper permission.
“There do need to be a series of approvals for permitting for demolition, and there was not a demolition permit for this building, so they started demolition without a permit,” she said. “So, the city came and stopped the rest of the demolition. Now there are just a few checkboxes that need to be set. … But I mean, you can see from the images, a lot has already been lost.”
The history of Kirby Mansion
The historic Kirby Mansion, located at 2000 Smith St. in Houston, on Oct. 9, 2026. (Photo Credit: Kyle McClenagan/Houston Public Media)
The historic Kirby Mansion, located at 2000 Smith St. in Houston, on Oct. 9, 2026. (Photo Credit: Kyle McClenagan/Houston Public Media)
The historic Kirby Mansion, located at 2000 Smith St. in Houston, on Oct. 9, 2026. (Photo Credit: Kyle McClenagan/Houston Public Media)
The mansion’s history dates back to 1894, when then-businessman J.S. Price built the property’s original home.
However, Jim Parsons, the programs and communications director for Preservation Houston, previously told Houston Public Media that the mansion’s Tudor Revival form was not constructed until 1926.
John Henry Kirby was a Houston Lumber baron who lived from November 1860 until November 1940.
“[Price] sold it relatively early on to John Henry Kirby,” Parsons said. “Kirby was a huge name in East Texas lumber and one of the leaders in the Houston lumber market. … He brought in an architect named James Ruskin Bailey to essentially rebuild the place into the home that we see today, which I think is 36 rooms.”
According to Parsons, some believe that parts of the original 1892 home still existed inside.
“The interesting story there is the sort of urban legend that the Kirbys were superstitious about living in a completely new house,” Parsons said. “So, it may be that there are elements of that 1892 house contained within.”
Parsons said it was one of the few remaining remnants of Houston’s old South End neighborhood.
“That was the elite residential area in Houston in the late 19th century and early 20th century. So, it was sort of the River Oaks of Houston in those days,” he said. “It’s a little jarring to see the Kirby mansion in its current setting, but you have to remember, 100 years ago it would have been surrounded by similar houses.”
Along with the mansion, Kirby is also the namesake for Kirby Drive and the Upper Kirby area of Houston.
Parsons said the mansion had been open to the public periodically in the past, but that it hasn’t been open to visitors for at least 10 years.