do Tire Corp. won an online auction and has purchased the long-abandoned and reportedly asbestos-ridden James F. Battin Federal Courthouse in downtown Billings, Mont.

CTC, also formerly known as American Tire Corp. and Washington Tire Corp., remains owned by Abraham Hengyucius, who resides in Seattle, according to an Aug. 2 report by the Billings Gazette.

According to the Gazette, CTC paid $3.275 million for the five-story structure, and apparently aspires to converting it into leaseable office space.

In a news release (not received by Tire Review), CTC COO Annette Perez stated, "This highly strategic building features large floor-plates, high ceilings and robust floor loading makes an attractive alternative for customers in the Great Plains Region who are looking for high-quality administrative and/or professional space in the downtown Billings market.

"The acquisition of the property compliments CTC’s presence in the great mining regions where CTC’s clients are located," she continued.

The paper’s Aug. 2 story by Rob Rogers also recounted the torrid history of CTC and its attempts at securing land to build a massive tire plant near outside Moses Lake, Wash.

According to the newspaper, “The federal building is stuffed with asbestos. It’s in the floor tiles, under the floor tiles, in the ceiling tiles, above the ceiling tiles and on the walls.” The federal government shuttered the courthouse last year with the courthouse moving to a new facility across the street.

The building opened in 1965 after a fast-track build of around two years. The structure includes a mechanical penthouse, one main basement level, and a sub-basement, and a 56-car parking garage.

With regard to its plans, CTC’s news release offered the following:

“Since this building has been vacated by GSA prior to this transfer, amazing opportunities have appeared to the building. How to better utilize this building and better contribute to the city, county and state economy? How to create more job opportunities in the community? As a new member of the community, CTC would like to invite all stakeholders for valuable proposals, including, but not limited to, the following aspects:

• Proposals for property management;
• Proposals for building renovations;
• Proposals for janitorial services;
• Letters of Intent to lease partial or all of the building space; and
• Resumes for the positions of property manager, maintenance engineer, electrician, and receptionist, etc.”

All media inquiries were directed by CTC to its lawyers in Montana.