The Tribune, which moved into the building at 143 S. Main St. in 1938, moved out more than three years ago to occupy space in an office building in The Gateway shopping center. The old Main Street building has remained empty ever since.

Priskos, who has specialized in the downtown area for years, has shown an interest in the building over the years and has talked about redeveloping the structure into housing.

Priskos did not return phone calls Wednesday about the sale, nor did Chief Financial Officer Ron Mayo of MediaNews Group, which owns The Tribune.

W. Dean Singleton, MediaNews chief executive officer and Tribune publisher, said the building was sold because it had outlived its usefulness.

"It serves no purpose for The Tribune any longer. We signed a long-term lease at The Gateway, and that's working well. [The old Tribune building] was not a good facility for a modern-day newspaper," Singleton said last week.