DALTON, Ga. — The train depot at 110 Depot St. is of historical significance not just for Dalton but for the entire state, says Ben Sutton, historic properties coordinator for the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

“There are a small number of these depots in the state, and that number gets even smaller when you talk about antebellum depots,” he said. “In terms of its age and its architecture, it’s certainly significant. In terms of its condition, it’s certainly in better shape than a lot of properties I’ve been involved with.”

The City Council wants to sell the depot and asked the Trust to help market it to potential buyers. On Thursday, Sutton and City Administrator Jason Parker led representatives from three potential bidders through the building.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the depot was built in 1852 by the Western & Atlantic Railroad. Most recently, it was the home for some 25 years of the Dalton Depot & Trackside Tavern restaurant. The city closed the depot in November 2015, citing conditions that “posed potential health hazards to the public,” including mold. The building has remained empty since.

Chuck Butler, owner of the Dalton Distillery in downtown Dalton, was among those touring the depot.

“This is a beautiful place. It has a lot of history,” he said. “If we aren’t able to take it, I hope someone is able to come in and preserve its history and make it an attraction.”

Butler said if he is able to acquire the depot he will move the Dalton Distillery into it.

“We’d move the distillery itself into the kitchen, and the bar area would be a restaurant,” he said.

Atlanta developer Bill Gallman also toured the depot. He said he and his company have a history of redeveloping historic buildings in the Atlanta area.

“When this opportunity opened up, we thought we should check it out,” he said. “We are trying to figure out what the best use of this property would be. This building is in pretty good shape compared to some historic properties I’ve seen.”

Barry Slaymaker, head of strategy for Barrett Properties, also walked through the building.

“We want to see if we can put together a plan that makes sense for the city and for Barrett Properties,” he said. “There’s a lot of history in this building. There’s great potential. It’s just a question for us of determining the best use we can make of the building.”

Mayor Dennis Mock said he was happy to see so many people interested in the building.

“This is more than we had the last time, and there may be some others who weren’t able to be here today,” he said.

The City Council put the building up for bids in 2017. The city did not get any formal offers but Jeremiah Consulting, a Kennesaw-based firm which renovates historic properties, was interested in the building. City officials began talks with Jeremiah but company officials had concerns about the historic conservation easement the city had suggested. Mock said after that, negotiations started to slow.

Jeremiah partner Dale Hughes said in an interview earlier this year he is too busy with his other properties to take on renovating the building and running it.

The building does not have an easement on it at this time, though council members say they do want one.

“We encouraged the city not to place an easement on the building (before the sale),” said Sutton. “A savvy buyer will realize there can be some tax benefits to donation easement. Essentially, the value of the building, based on what could be built without an easement, is compared to the value after the owner agrees to an easement, and any difference in value can be treated like a donation for tax purposes.”

The deadline for bids is Sept. 14.