FAYETTEVILLE — The old post office building in the center of the downtown square could soon have a new owner.
After more than 35 years in the hands of Fayetteville’s Bumpass family, Ron Bumpass, a local attorney, has agreed to sell the nearly 102-year-old structure to Jim Huson, owner of Doe’s Eat Place restaurants in Fayetteville and Bentonville.
At A Glance
Old Post Office Building
The old post office building, at 1 W. Center St., opened on July 15, 1911, according to newspaper accounts at the time. It closed as a place for stamps and letters in 1972, nine years after a new postal facility opened on Dickson Street in 1963. The building was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Ron Bumpass’ parents, Donald and Edna Bumpass, purchased the building Nov. 11, 1977, at a sale price of $42,500, according to Washington County property records. Ron Bumpass and Keith Cearley then partnered to operate the Old Post Office and Gathering Place restaurant and club. A series of restaurants have occupied the building during the past 16 years, the last of which, Urban Table Bar & Grill, closed in January 2009.
Ron Bumpass and members of the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission failed to reach an agreement for the property in late 2011 and early 2012. The commission’s executive director, Marilyn Heifner, had envisioned the building as meeting and event space and as a home for the Fayetteville Underground artists’ collective. The property was listed for $1.5 million in September. An undisclosed buyer signed a contract for the building in January, but that deal fell through the following month, according to Mark Risk, listing agent for the property. The building was advertised for $1.3 million in February.
Source: Staff Report
Bumpass and Huson agreed to undisclosed terms of the sale in a May 7 contract, according to Mark Risk, listing agent for the property. Risk added Monday that the sale is not final. A June 15 closing date has been set, he said.
Risk said Huson is working to obtain a bank loan, and, he added, several contingencies exist.
“Right now it’s looking pretty good,” Risk said.
Huson was out of the country Monday, but confirmed by phone his family’s intent to buy the old post office. He said the building’s main floor could be rented out as restaurant space or for retail purposes.
“We’re just kind of feeling our way along at the moment until we get this deal closed,” Huson said.
Risk said the building’s top floor, where Bumpass’ law offices are located, will likely be converted into two apartments.
Neither he nor Huson disclosed financial details of the possible transaction. The property was listed for $1.3 million in February after an agreement with a previous buyer fell through.
Risk said Huson has inspected the building and is well aware of renovations that will be needed.
“The building is in not that bad of condition,” Risk said. “It needs some cosmetic repairs, and it needs some wiring.”
Huson said, “The only reason the deal would not go through is if for some reason the seller didn’t fulfill his obligation, and I have no reason to believe that will happen.”
Huson said he is working to verify several easements that would come with the property. Risk said the loading dock on the building’s east side has to be accessible at all times, including during the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market. A lease for the old post office’s patio needs to be worked out with the city, too, he added.
The city owns and maintains the patio and gardens surrounding the old post office as a public park.
According to Mayor Lioneld Jordan, the building’s last tenant, Urban Table Bar & Grill, leased the patio for $200 per month.
Jordan said his administration will likely accept less money from Huson, but, he added, city officials will want to have continued access to a transmitter providing free wireless Internet access on the square. Speakers on the old post office that belong to the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission will have to be accessible, too, Jordan said.
“That’s all workable,” the mayor said. “It’s all doable.”
“I certainly want to support any business that wants to go into the old post office,” Jordan added. “Having something in there would really be a plus for the square and downtown area.”