Former Auction House Renovated

WAITSBURG - There are no specific long-term plans for the use of 103 Main St. between the old Delta Connection building and Poto's Small Engine Repair.

But owner J.P. Kent said he does "not intend for it to sit vacant" after repairs to it are completed by mid No­vember. "It could be so many things," said Kent, owner of Remote Data Storage in Walla Walla who bought the historic building three years ago. "It depends on what the economy will support. It does not have to be one thing." Heavy snowfall in late 2008 caused the building's roof to collapse and did sig­nificant structural damage, particularly to the back of the 4,500-square-foot build­ing where two heavy timber trusses failed. The repairs are covered by insurance. The roof and the back concrete wall have been re­built with lumber. The back facing the ally will be fin­ished with metal siding, said Dan Reid, general manager for Opp Siebold, a general construction firm based in Walla Walla.

"It will be finished as a shell," said Reid, meaning that a user or users can make interior improvements spe­cific

to their vision for the space. The building will have a new heating and air condi­tioning system and possibly a loading dock in the back. Kent said he will either rent it, sell it or put a business in it. Until that happens, he plans to use it for personal storage and display antique farm tools, equipment and possibly cars in the front of the structure, including a horse-drawn carriage.

The building has a long and varied history. It is be­lieved to have been a black­smith shop at first, an up­holstery shop, a car service facility and an auction house.

Kent, who chairs an an­nual event at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds every spring and has long had a soft spot for the community, said when he bought the building it was for speculative reasons and he hopes to finda permanent user because "there is so much potential in Waits­burg."