Photo by Derek Redd The McLure Hotel was closed Wednesday by the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department.

A prospective buyer of the McLure Hotel has stepped forward a month after its condemnation by the city.

At a hearing in municipal court Wednesday, interested buyer Josef France from Arkansas and current owner Frances Garey announced that they have agreed on a price for the historic building and have an early April closing date set.

The McLure was condemned in November for what Judge Jeffrey Miller referred to as “a lengthy laundry list of problems” including mold, fire code violations and sewage issues.

Miller asked Garey and France why the closure period for the purchase of the building was so long and if there were any issues that he should be aware of to which France responded that this length is standard for a commercial contract of this size. France said he has experience renovating hotels.

Miller asked several times if France “knew what he was getting himself into” with the purchase of the McLure and whether he had the resources it would take to get it up to code upon purchasing it. France answered “yes,” he was prepared to take on the purchase of the building.

Should the purchase go through, the pending case against FA Management would be transferred to France’s name and he, or his legal representative, would likely have to begin making periodic appearances in court in regards to the status of the building and code violations.

Miller said the discussion on the outcome of the hotel would be extended to April 16, but if any significant security concerns in the empty building arise before then the owner, whether it be Garey or France at that point, may be summoned sooner.

Drew Holbrook, the lawyer representing FA Management, said there is nothing currently in the works to compensate tenants of the McLure apartments who were forced to vacate when the building was condemned last month.