EDITOR’S NOTE: KSNT incorrectly identified the Shawnee County Counselor’s Office as the Topeka Counselor’s Office in this story. That has been corrected.

TOPEKA (KSNT) – For the first time in two years, Shawnee County held a public auction to sell a local eyesore, the former Red Carpet Inn.

The bidding was extended to 4:06 p.m. according to the Shawnee County Counselor’s Office. The final bid came in at $54,100. Eight bidders bid on the property from 9 a.m. to after 4 p.m.

The Red Carpet Inn in Topeka was sold at auction today.

The abandoned Red Carpet Inn & Suites in downtown Topeka was auctioned off by Shawnee County, which said the owner owes thousands of dollars in local taxes. Bidding started at $38 at 9 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m. At 2:15 p.m., the highest bid was $21,300.

The hotel was originally opened as a Holiday Inn in the 1970s until a cocktail lounge fire closed the hotel in 2005. The nine-story building is located at 914 Southeast Madison Street near I-70.

Its total property was appraised at $690,000. The Shawnee County Appraiser’s Office said the owner owes $233,768.23 in property taxes. A North Dakota-based group, CPE Topeka Kansas 1031 Exchange 32984, LLC, owns the abandoned hotel.

The Red Carpet Inn in Topeka was sold Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at auction.