Atascadero Printery set to be auctioned May 12
—San Luis Obispo County is set to auction off the Atascadero Printery on May 12 for back taxes totaling about $300,000. The taxes are owed by a defunct corporation related to the imprisoned Kelly Gearhart, and the default on the taxes forces the county to auction the building to recoup the cost.
This follows a recent attempt by the Atascadero Printery Foundation “to reclaim, restore, and repurpose the Atascadero Printery Building as a multipurpose, community-use facility” for the good of the community. They missed a Jan. 5 goal of raising $350,000 to purchase the building from the county.
Foundation president Karen McNamara spearheaded the effort in honor of her late husband Dr. Mike McNamara — who, along with foundation co-founder Nicholas Mattson, was one of the first to begin to take real interest in the property after consistent public outcry.
In 2016, county tax collector Jim Erb made the decision to pull the property from the auction to give the Atascadero Printery Foundation time to develop a strategy to purchase the property — a pursuit that intensified in response to the recent deadline.
The Atascadero Printery Building has great historic significance to the community of Atascadero — as the first of the Civic Center buildings to be completed, the home of Atascadero founder E.G. Lewis’ printing empire, and one of two buildings in Atascadero listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The other NRHP building is the neighboring Atascadero Colony Administration Building, which currently houses Atascadero’s City Hall.
Related article:
Atascadero Printery restoration fundraising reaches deadline
