Building watch update: West mansion may get five year lease on life

In October of last year the (Silver Dollar) Jim West mansion was sold to Olajuwon Farms (the bucolic name of Hakeem's land management company). After sifting through archives, though, Linda Sansing, a teacher in Clear Creek ISD and co-founder of Preserved in Time (a nonprofit to help raise awareness of the West mansion), found a deed restriction that may prevent any tampering with the mansion until July of 2012. The Greater Houston Preservation Alliance's David Bush confirmed the restriction, and notified the Farms' representatives, as well as the City of Pasadena and the Texas Historical Commission.

The deed amendment, signed by representatives of Rice University and Exxon Corp., states that the property owner agrees to, “maintain and preserve the West Mansion and West Mansion Land in good condition and not allow the West Mansion and West Mansion Land to deteriorate or to demolish or allow the West Mansion to be demolished,” for a period of twenty years. The amendment defines the “West Mansion Land” as the 3.8 acres surrounding the house.

According to the National Trust, before Rice University sold the land to the Pappas family (who then sold it to Olajuwon Farms), the twenty year deed restriction was added. Since there are no land use regulations in Pasadena and money talks, there is still a good chance that Olajuwon (Farms) will get wishes fulfilled and eventually tear down the mansion.

The current land on which the mansion sits consist of about 40 acres - a tiny amount left from the original 30,000 acres which has been subdivided over the years.

Photo: Flickr user superciliousness