Preservation Houston has learned of a threat to the Kirby Mansion, 2006 Smith Street in Midtown. Reliable sources indicate the historic house is under contract and that the new owner does not intend to retain the building. Preservation Houston has been working behind the scenes to promote the restoration and repurposing of the historic property.
Continuing threats to historic River Oaks Shopping Center
Weingarten Realty Investors has submitted requests for certificates of appropriateness to demolish one portion and significantly alter another section of the historic River Oaks Shopping Center. The Art Deco complex is a designated City of Houston Landmark, so proposed changes to the buildings must go before the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission (HAHC). The affected buildings at 1964 and 1973 West Gray Avenue (1948, Raymond H. Brogniez) were constructed during a post-World War II expansion and complemented the modernistic design of the original shopping center (1937, Nunn & McGinty).
Bay Area could lose Art Deco landmark
Demolition of the surviving section of the former Webster High School (1939, Rudolph G. Schneider), 400 South Walnut Street in Webster, is part of a bond proposal that Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD) is putting before voters later this month. The structure, which now serves as the main entrance to Clear View High School, is one of the few remaining pre-World War II historic resources in the Clear Lake area and a surprisingly sophisticated example of Art Deco design in what was a very small town at the time the school was built.