A potential buyer has emerged for the Odorite building in Midtown-Belvedere, a property that has been vacant since the cleaning products supply company merged with another firm and moved out in 2023. According to auctioneer and associate broker Charles Billig of A. J. Billig Co., the proper ty at 1111 Maryland Ave. went under contract on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Billig had scheduled an auction for the property this month, with online bidding scheduled to start Dec. 8 and in-person bidding scheduled to start at 2 p.m. on Dec. 10. The auction was a voluntary sale on behalf of the property owner. Shortly after 2 p.m. on Dec. 10, with potential bidders and spectators gathered inside the building, Billig said the live-bidding part of the sale would not take place because the seller was negotiating with a potential buyer and needed more time to finalize a contract. He did not disclose information about the buyer at that time, saying only that the live bidding would not take place. On Friday, Billig said in an email message that the property went under contract shortly after the auction was called off and that the buyer has until the end of January to settle. He said the buyer has asked not to be identified until the sale is complete, and that’s also when the sale price will be posted in public records. He said the buyer has not provided an intended use for the building. Odorite vacated the building after owner Owen Lewis sold his business to Viking Chemical Co. in Westport and the Odorite operation became part of Viking’s business. The property is zoned for commercial use. In its auction materials, Billig described the structure as a “flex showroom building” containing 22,798 square feet of space on nearly four-tenths of an acre, with a loading dock and drive-in bays. Billig worked on the auction in collaboration with MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate Services. The advertised opening bid was $500,000. Billig said five parties registered for online bidding or pre-registered for the on-site auction. Of the five, he said in his message, “none besides the contract purchaser seemed fully prepared that day, which is why we chose to negotiate the deal directly instead. The contract purchaser is local and was familiar with the property prior to it being advertised for auction.” Because the building is in a local historic district, any changes to the exterior must be approved by the city’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation. Billig said he believes it is a positive result for the seller, buyer and surrounding community. “While we would have preferred an active auction with many parties bidding,” he said, “I think the outcome is healthy and provides a path to simplification for the seller. The buyer will have an opportunity to take advantage of an attractive location bounded by [the University of Baltimore], MICA, major cultural attractions and Penn Station. Our hope is that they are able to utilize the site in an attractive and beneficial way for the Midtown-Belvedere community.” ...read more read less