Few buildings in downtown Houston look like the Kirby Mansion. Its red-brick walls, tall chimneys and steep roof, rising above the towers, are unlike anything else in the neighbourhood. Recently, the century-old, castle-like mansion at 2000 Smith St. changed hands. On 1 October, the historic mansion was sold to OB Texas Properties LLC, as reported by Chron. It is one of the last surviving grand homes of old Houston, and preservationists are now worried about its future. “We’re really concerned about the future of this building. We obviously want to see the building retained and put to productive use,” Jim Parsons, programme and communications director for Preservation Houston, told the outlet.
A mansion from another era
The mansion was originally built in the 1890s for businessman J.S. Price. Later, lumber magnate John Henry Kirby bought the property. Kirby, nicknamed the ‘Prince of the Pines’, is the namesake of Kirby Drive. In 1926, architect James Ruskin Bailey transformed the home into the sprawling, 36-room Tudor Revival-style residence it is today.In the 1800s and early 1900s, the area was called the South End, and it was one of Houston’s wealthiest neighbourhoods. Blocks of elaborate mansions and gardens once filled the area. Most have since been torn down, leaving Kirby Mansion as the largest surviving home from that bygone era.For the neighbourhood, this Tudor Revival mansion is a reminder of its grand past. “It gives us an idea of what the neighbourhood used to be like,” Parsons said. Now, preservationists are worried about its future.
The sale that worries preservationists
The Kirby family owned the house until the late 1940s. Later, the Houston-Harris County Red Cross used it as its headquarters for about 30 years, after which it became office space. In 2018, car dealer Ricardo Weitz bought the property. He considered building a Cadillac dealership on the site, partly because the house is visible from the nearby Pierce Elevated. That plan never materialised, and the mansion has sat mostly empty for years.Now, OB Texas Properties LLC owns the property. In a Facebook post shared on 6 October, Preservation Houston raised the alarm. “The building currently has no local, state or federal historic designation, which makes this an important moment for its future. We believe the mansion should be preserved and returned to productive use,” the organisation said. It also shared that it was in talks with the new owner and looked forward to meeting with them “to learn more about their plans and discuss potential preservation incentives that could support the building’s future”.Many residents commented on the post, shared memories of the house and said they hoped it would survive. “I was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1947, like many Houstonians at that time, and remember the Kirby Mansion as one of the standout places that was Houston at the turn of the 20th century. A grand structure that must be preserved. Many of the magnificent homes that were surrounding this one are already gone,” one netizen commented. Another echoed the sentiment: “I’d noticed it from the highway for so many years and recently drove by it several times to take it in. It’s amazing, and the history is fantastic. I hope it is preserved!”Many netizens also speculated that the property could become a petrol station or convenience store. Parsons said companies linked to the buyer received permits in March and April 2026 to sell alcohol and retail hemp products at the address. Those permits, however, do not reveal what the owner intends to do with the building.“Beyond the fact that the permits exist, we don’t know,” Parsons said.As the mansion has no local, state or federal historic designation, it has no legal protection against demolition. Parsons said previous owners had never pursued such a designation, even after talks with Preservation Houston.Many people assume old buildings are automatically protected, Parsons said. But that is not the case. “We hear this about historic churches, movie theatres and all sorts of places that people think, ‘It’s been there forever; it must be protected.’ But unfortunately, not necessarily,” he said.The mansion occupies only part of a large city block, leaving space for new construction beside it. The house could become offices, a restaurant, a hotel or another commercial space, Parsons said. He pointed to POST Houston, the former downtown post office that now houses shops and entertainment venues, as proof that old buildings can find new uses. “The buildings that survive are the buildings that adapt,” he told the outlet.For now, there is no sign that the house will be demolished soon. “The owner could be planning a beautiful restoration, and that would be ideal,” Parsons said. Until the owner shares a plan, the mansion’s future remains an open question.
