The federal building in downtown Harrisburg
When Harrisburg’s federal building sold at auction last year, many city residents wondered who had bought it—and what they planned to do with it.
Now, we seem to have some answers.
On Feb. 8, RRF Building LLC, which lists its address in Bronx, N.Y., closed on the purchase of the downtown building at 228 Walnut St., acquiring it from the U.S. government for just over $10 million, according to Dauphin County property records.
The intention seems to be for investment purposes, as the buyer immediately put the building right back on the sales market, listing it for $22 million, according to a listing on the commercial real estate site, Loopnet.
In the auction last year, the purchaser out-dueled three other bidders for the 11-story, 251,000-square-foot building, which was built in 1966.
While this outcome may not be what many city residents would want, there is a silver lining. The long tax-exempt building is now on the tax roles, as Dauphin County has assessed it at nearly $17.4 million.
According to the disclosure on Loopnet, the building’s annual tax bill clocks in at $440,000, which includes city, county and school district property taxes.
The U.S. General Services Administration auctioned off the building as it prepares to move its federal court operations to a new building at N. 6th and Reily streets, slated for completion later this year. Other Harrisburg-based federal offices, including the U.S. Post Office on site, also will need to find new homes.
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