The former KNY Family Fitness Center, located at 900 Lexington Ave., Altoona, ceased operations in early 2019 and is scheduled for a March 10 sheriff’s sale. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

A major building near downtown is headed for sheriff’s sale.

The old YMCA on the 900 block of Lexington Avenue, which more recently housed the KNY Family Fitness Center that was the subject of a foreclosure complaint by M&T Bank in 2017, ceased operations in early 2019 and is scheduled for sale March 10.

City officials are hoping for a savior for the 97-year-old structure, which was equipped with a full-sized basketball court, a pool and an exercise room.

“We would definitely want to see that property restored and reused,” said Rebecca Brown, director of the Department of Codes & Inspections. “(It’s) an important part of that area and an important part of the city.”

The building is sound, and the exterior, at least, is in good condition, although the interior needs work, Brown said.

Dr. Mohammad Dowlut, proprietor of the KNY center and of a primary care practice and an urgent care clinic, was the owner of the property until his death Jan. 10.

The codes office had some involvement with the building in 2016 and 2019, and Dowlut had made some repairs during that period, including roof repairs, Brown said.

The city could facilitate renovation through its Land Bank by recruiting an interested developer, according to Mayor Matt Pacifico, a member of the Land Bank board.

It would be good if the building became a gym again, Pacifico said.

“A community center-type place,” he said. “It would be cool to see.”

Land banks have no formal power to intervene in sheriff’s sales, like they do with judicial tax sales, Pacifico said.

The property is listed for the March 10 sale on the website of a law firm representing M&T, with a “judgment” listing of $245,000.

M&T registered the property as undergoing foreclosure in keeping with the city’s Foreclosed Property Registration Ordinance early last year, Brown said. The ordinance makes banks that file for foreclosure responsible for maintenance.

M&T hired a third-party “preservation” company to do it, Brown said.

The city’s main concerns are that the building remains secure to prevent illegal entry and that the exterior remains presentable, Brown said.

Sheriff’s sales generate proceeds that go to pay back mortgage lenders, tax collectors and other claimants, according to an item in Investopedia.

Lenders are entitled to an amount sufficient to pay off the outstanding balance of the loan plus the costs associated with the foreclosure and sale — but no more, according to nolo.com.

Bidding generally begins at the amount the county has paid in advertising, plus the county’s other costs in connection with the property and the amount of current and delinquent taxes, according to Blair County solicitor Nathan Karn.

The building is five stories, with 42,000 square feet of floor space.

It was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, according to Patrick Miller, executive vice president of the Altoona Blair County Development Corp.

It opened as the Altoona Gymnasium, according to Brown.

It closed as a Y in 1992.

“A lot of kids learned how to swim there,” Miller said.

After the Y closed, the building was vacant for five years.

Dowlut bought it in 1997 and opened the KNY the following year, according to Brown.

This building is truly a historical gem,” Brown said. “It deserves to be restored and repurposed, ideally for continued use by our community in some capacity.”

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.