One of Hutchinson's oldest buildings, the former ProBuild lumberyard at 135 Monroe St. S.E., has been purchased by rural Hutchinson residents Kathy and Ian McDonald.

When contacted Monday, Ian McDonald, vice president and branch manager of Cornerstone Home Lending, said he and his wife purchased the property with the idea that both will be rented out to businesses. Included is a warehouse about a block away on Erie Street,

"At this point, we are contemplating a variety of potential uses for both spaces," Ian said. There already has been some interest in the warehouse for storage or light industrial.

Portions of the main facility with about 7,000 square feet of space, he said, date from the late 1890s. The lumberyard probably was built along what was then Great Northern Railroad tracks after that company built a line from the Twin Cities to Hutchinson in 1886. The railroad shut down in 2000, when it was called Dakota Rail.

ProBuild closed the yard in December. It was earlier known as United Building Center, and Thompson Yards, a Weyerhaeuser Timber company, before that.

McDonald said the existence of the building along the former railroad right of way has presented an interesting puzzle in determining property lines.