The Price Of History

The county has reached an agreement to buy the old stone Post Office on Main Street in Ellicott City, "pending an inspection period during which the viability of the building and the County’s ability to make the necessary improvements to ensure its long term preservation will be assessed."

The county plans to convert the upstairs mailroom into a tourism center (there's currently an information office downstairs, along with an office for U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings).

What caught our eye was the price for prime 1940s-era Main Street real estate: $640,000. Either this is some fixer upper, or maybe the feds took pity on poor Howard. Here's a listing for another nearby property, which is going for close to $1 million.

(Of course, it's possible the feds are keeping title to the land, the releases we saw just mention the county is buying the building).