Single bid on historic Salt Lake building leaves future of Odd Fellows Hall in doubt

SALT LAKE CITY — After spending nearly $7 million to move the historic Odd Fellows Hall building across Market Street to make room for a new federal courthouse downtown, U.S. government officials are baffled as to why an auction for the building Wednesday only attracted one bidder, and a single offer that pales in comparison to the seven-figure investment.

John Robinson, a real-estate specialist with the U.S. Government Services Administration, said Thursday he had no explanation for the lack of interest in the 100-year-old building

"It is an anomaly for us not to sell a property at an auction," Robinson said. "This situation is exceedingly rare."

So rare, in fact, that Robinson's employer appears to be unsure how to handle the situation. The only registered bidder for the property, John Williams, co-owner of the Salt Lake restaurant consortium, Gastronomy, Inc., submitted an offer of $365,000, according to the GSA. Whether or not the bid will be accepted remains unknown.

"It'll probably be a couple of weeks before we decide what to do," Robinson said.

While Williams could not be reached for comment Thursday, a source at Gastronomy said he bid on the building as a private individual and not on behalf of the company. While a long-term plan for the building — if Williams' bid were accepted — isn't clear, the source said Williams had an interest in "ensuring that a beautiful building, that is well-located, becomes an enhancement to the neighborhood."

Robinson would not reveal the assessed value of the building, nor whether the GSA had a target price in mind for the auction. Should Williams' bid be rejected, the property could go back to a live-auction sale or be sold via a sealed-bid process.

e-mail: araymond@desnews.com