At Long Last, Someone Bought Longaberger's Basket-Shaped Office

For more than 20 years, Newark, Ohio, has been home to what is likely the world's biggest picnic basket. Built in 1997, the former headquarters of The Longaberger Company is a seven-story architectural masterpiece made to look like the company’s signature woven picnic baskets. Unfortunately, not many other businesses want to work inside a picnic basket. The Longaberger Company has been trying to offload the office building since 2015, with few bites. Now, finally, someone has agreed to buy the building—towering handles and all.

At long last, someone bought the building in late 2017, according to Columbus Business First. Sadly, the oddly shaped building won't be going to a company that makes blankets or light snacks appropriate for eating on grassy lawns. The Louisville, Ohio-based developer Coon Restoration paid $1.2 million for the property, agreeing to pay the $800,000 in back taxes the Longaberger Company owes on it. The final price is a far cry from the $7.5 million it was once listed for, and even further away from the $32 million it took to build it in 1997 (that’s $49.4 million in 2018 dollars).

Coon Restoration owner Steve Coon has yet to reveal what he plans to do with the building, but he has said that he plans to renovate it, potentially to turn it into a mixed-use office building or a hotel. “I have a big vision in mind to bring it back to life and keep the Longaberger story alive,” Coon said in a statement regarding the sale. He has already hired Cleveland’s Sandvick Architects, designers who specialize in historic preservation, to work on the project. We can’t wait to see what they do with those handles.