REDMOND, OR -- The historic Redmond Depot finally has a potential buyer. Redmond City Manager Keith Witcosky says the deal with Staffenson Resources LLC is for them to purchase the Depot for $250,000, and still make it available for the City to use.
He says Staffenson won't be able to change much about the building. "By being on the historic register, it means that, basically, the outside of the building and what you can see from the outside, really can't change. So, you've got to maintain the stone, you can't build a fence in front of it so somebody can't see it, you can't add clutter to the roof. Inside, the building, the historic elements aren't as significant, but on the outside, you're very limited in what you can do."
Witcosky says the doors to the Depot will always be open, with literature available from the Chamber of Commerce and other historical organizations, to let visitors learn about Redmond's past whenever they visit, and Witcosky says what's important about this sale is that the Depot, though transferring into private ownership, should still seem to be owned by the citizens of Redmond. "They're always going to have the ability to go into the Depot. Their friends and family come to town and want to see some of the important history associated with Redmond, the Depot's going to be able to be on that tour. The front door is always going to be open, the Chamber is going to highlight it, so I think that the Council struck a good balance between getting a building back in use, but also maintaining it as an important historical resource."
The Redmond Depot was built in 1911 and was moved to its current location to make room for the Highway 97 reroute in 2004. Formerly home to the Red Dog Depot restaurant, it's sat empty since 2012.
