EAST SPENCER — The sale of the Paul Laurence Dunbar Center has been postponed to noon Nov. 16.
The property went into foreclosure on Oct. 3 and was set to go up for auction at the county courthouse at 11 a.m. today. Minutes before, the sale was postponed at the request of the lender, but no reason was given for the delay.
Shady Grove Baptist Church has owned the Dunbar Center, located at 820 North Long St. in East Spencer, for nearly three years.
According to county records, the church paid $400,000 for the property, which includes the 92,000-square-foot former school and about 7.5 acres. It planned to lease the former classrooms for either office or retail space.
When Shady Grove Baptist bought the Dunbar Center in December 2008, it took out a $300,000 loan from SunTrust Bank. At the time the property went into foreclosure, SunTrust said the church was in default and had not made a payment on the loan since July 23, 2010.
At that time, the church owed a principal amount of $290,949.46, plus $37,477.63 in interest on the loan, according to court documents.