Old Tavern on Route 1 Sold at Auction

A restaurant property well known to those traveling on Route 1 was auctioned Thursday for $500,000.

Once known as the Buttermilk Hill Tavern, the Elkridge business has sat vacant for years. Its most recent owner was B210 Auto Sales, a Silver Spring automotive business, which purchased it for $795,000 in June 2011, according to state property records.

The buyer from the July 19 auction declined to be identified and would not comment on what his plans were for the property.

He faced competition from five bidders, something the auctioneer said was a positive sign for the commercial real estate market.

“There was a significant amount of interest,” said auctioneer Bill Holland, whose company Tranzon Fox represented the seller.

Holland said approximately 60 people contacted him with interest in the property over the last six weeks.

“It’s the high visibility,” he added, looking out onto Route 1.

According to traffic counts from the Maryland Department of Transportation, at least 30,000 vehicles pass 6100 Washington Boulevard in Elkridge daily; that information was provided as part of a packet distributed by auctioneer company Tranzon Fox to the 16 people at Thursday's auction.

Holland noted that six months ago, he handled an auction in Baltimore that generated little to no interest, in contrast to the Elkridge turnout.

Said Holland: “The commercial opportunities are taking off in this area."

See related stories:

For updates and more Elkridge news, sign up for the Elkridge Patch newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.