The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Former Phoenixville Civic Center up for auction
Online auction will conclude June 2
PHOENIXVILLE » The auction of the former Civic Center at 121-123 Main St. in Phoenixville, is nearly at hand.
The online-only auction is being conducted by Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Co. It opens at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31, and concludes at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 2.
Prospective bidders must be registered to be part of the auction.
According to Bob Dann, auctioneer and executive vice president of Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Co., bidders can sign up to participate on the auction site’s website at www.maxspann. com. Bidders may submit bids via their computer or through the Max Spann phone app.
“We have assembled a detailed
Property Information Package with the zoning, terms and conditions, dimensions and how to bid information,” Dann said in an emailed response to questions.
That package will be available once a bidder registers.
The facility was built in 1908 and is being sold by order of Phoenixville Borough. The Main Street facility is no longer needed for public use; a new recreation center has been built at 501 Franklin Ave.
The building has a total of 14,880 square feet. It includes a first floor with approximately 6,129 square feet and a second floor of approximately 1,954 square feet. There is also a partially finished lower level/basement that consists of approximately 6,129 square feet.
According to information provided by Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Co., the first floor includes three private offices, two restrooms, a kitchen, and a gymnasium. The second floor was improved as a preschool divided into several rooms and one restroom. The lower-level basement has utility and mechanical rooms, and improved areas including a locker room.
The property is zoned Residential Infill which allows for multifamily residential uses, adaptive reuse, group homes and other uses, and sits on a consolidated lot of about 342-acres. Phoenixville has consolidated three lots to create a better redevelopment project for the new owners, according to a press release about the auction.
Dann added that because the auction is an online auction, “bidders can see what others have bid.”
Dann did not say how many bidders have registered so far.
“We have had some good interest but always welcome more,” he said.
In addition to being pre-registered, bidders must also place a $10,000 deposit into Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Co.’s escrow account 24-hours prior to the conclusion of bidding, according to information on the auction website. The high bidder will be required to deposit the balance of 10% of the total contract amount into the escrow account by end of business day.
In addition, the high bidder will be required to enter into an Agreement of Sale immediately at the end of the auction.