One of the three buildings associated with the historic Farmers Exchange building in downtown Kennewick has been sold to new owners after nearly a year on the market.

Lion Hall LLC bought the building at 19 N. Benton St., a 7,060-square-foot building built in 1935, for $474,000, according to property records. The sale closed April 10. 

The LLC is owned by Dave and Amber Bruce, according to the company’s business license. The owners could not be reached for comment, but a site plan filed with the city of Kennewick in December 2025 and approved in January indicates plans to change the building’s use into a retail and art gallery. 

According to the plans, about 5,000 square feet will be used for an art gallery, with a large patio outside, and 2,000 square feet will be used for a retail area with a smaller patio outside. 

The actual Farmers Exchange building and two buildings at 35 N. Benton St. are still for sale, listed at $899,000 and $845,000, respectively. 

“It’s such a beloved piece of downtown Kennewick’s history … so we certainly hope that someone sees the wonderful potential of that historic property,” said Kelly McPhee, senior vice president of communications at Banner Bank, which owns the buildings.

Realtor Rob Ellsworth, senior advisor with SVN Retter & Company, a commercial real estate firm in Kennewick, said there’s been interest in all of the buildings, but the few offers they had didn’t come together.

He said that with the first building selling, “it will kind of snowball on the other two and generate more interest and activity” as new life starts up in that area. 

With plans for an art gallery, “it’ll generate more new traffic to the downtown area and it’ll be great for the other two properties also,” Ellsworth said. 

The Farmers Exchange saw 100 years of business before closing in 2024, and the iconic building at 215 W. Canal Drive has since been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

That building, as well as the properties at 35 and 19 N. Benton St., ended up in the hands of Banner Bank in May 2025. The properties had been foreclosed on when the owner, Christopher Ingersoll, failed to pay the lender, Banner Bank. 

While the properties were up for auction in May 2025, no one placed a bid, reverting ownership to Banner Bank, which put them on the market soon after.