Houston Halts Kirby Mansion Demolition Over Permit

Demolition crews tore down a substantial section of Houston’s century-old Kirby Mansion in Midtown on Friday, prompting a city inspector to issue a stop-work order because the work had begun without the required demolition permit. A neighbor later said the owner obtained a permit, which could allow work to resume. The 36-room Tudor Revival home, built in the 1890s and associated with lumber magnate John Henry Kirby, hosted President George H.W. Bush and other world leaders during the 1990 Economic Summit; it has no historic designation protecting it from demolition. Preservation Houston had sought to save and repurpose the property after its recent sale to OB Texas Properties LLC, but the new owners’ plans remain unclear.