In a few fast minutes on Wednesday, local developer Tim Kihiko walked away with one of downtown Lowell’s biggest question marks: the long‑vacant Lowell Superior Courthouse on Gorham Street. Kihiko put down $1.925 million for the block‑long building, a deal that also folds in four parking lots across the street and comes with housing restrictions and a requirement for a quick closing. The more than 65,000‑square‑foot property has sat largely unused since court operations shifted to the new justice center in 2020, and city and state officials at the sale cast the outcome as a win for both the State Land for Homes program and Lowell’s broader downtown redevelopment push.
The on‑site “absolute” auction, run by JJ Manning Auctioneers, opened at $250,000 and shot up quickly, reaching $1 million in under two minutes before topping out at $1.925 million, according to the Lowell Sun. Auctioneer Justin Manning closed out the action with the familiar cadence of “once, twice, third, last call” as the winning bid held. All bidders had to prequalify, and the property was offered strictly “as is,” with furnishings and courtroom fixtures included in the sale.
State Program Drives The Sale
The courthouse deal moved forward under the Commonwealth’s State Land for Homes initiative, which is administered by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance and is designed to speed the conversion of surplus state properties into housing. As outlined on Mass.gov, the program is part of the administration’s Affordable Homes Act strategy to streamline how public land gets conveyed and to encourage residential projects on those sites.
Kihiko, bidding through Kihiko Properties LLC, was declared the winner and now has 45 days or less to close on the purchase, the Lowell Sun reports. The sale is not contingent on mortgage financing, and under the auction terms, any items left in the building will transfer to the buyer. DCAMM Commissioner Adam Baacke told the Sun he expects “a really great project that [DCAMM] and the city can be proud of,” while auction staff stressed that buyers receive clear title but take the property exactly as it stands.
What’s For Sale
The package covers the landmark courthouse itself, with more than 65,000 square feet of courtroom and office space, plus four surface parking lots totaling roughly 2.44 acres, according to the property information packet from JJ Manning Auctioneers. Marketing materials highlight transit access, permissive multi‑family zoning on parts of the site and several pre‑auction tours that drew developer interest.
What Comes Next
Once the sale closes, Kihiko will have to move quickly through local permitting, design review and any historic‑preservation steps before construction can start. Mass.gov notes that the State Land for Homes effort aims to smooth approvals and keep projects moving, but local zoning rules, preservation requirements and financing will ultimately decide whether the former courthouse turns into apartments, condos or a mixed‑use development.
For downtown Lowell, the transaction takes one of the state’s largest vacant properties off the sidelines and hands a prominent historic building to a local buyer with plans for change. Expect a wave of filings, public hearings and design proposals in the coming months as the developer and the city sort out what will replace the empty courtrooms.
