Overview
- Demolition crews began tearing into the 36-room Kirby Mansion on Friday, Oct. 30, city inspectors posted a red-tag stop-work order for lack of a proper demolition permit and issued a citation to Iqbal Kaskar.
- A neighbor said demolition resumed and that a city demolition permit was issued later that Friday, a claim that local outlets have not independently confirmed.
- Preservation groups and Kirby descendants held a candlelight vigil over the weekend after roughly half the building had already been torn down and preservationists said the owner declined repeated requests to meet or allow documentation or salvage.
- Public records show the property was sold in late September to OB Texas Properties LLC, linked in filings to Omair Bashir and business interests tied to a convenience-store and gas-station chain, though specific redevelopment plans have not been confirmed by the owner.
- The mansion had no city landmark protection, Houston’s designation process requires owner support, and preservationists say the episode exposes gaps in permitting and enforcement that could drive efforts to change city policy.