THE new owner of one of Hull's most unusual landmarks hopes he can keep the building in Hull.
With its sloping roof and array of mini-wind turbines, the Arc design centre cost £750,000 to construct but sold for just £21,000 at auction yesterday.
The mobile building will need to be wheeled away within the next few months and Wakefield property developer Terry Hodgkinson would like to keep it in the city.
He said: "We would like the building to remain in Hull and certainly in Yorkshire.
"It is an outstanding architectural building and merits a good location and use.
"I am very happy with the price and it is around the figure we had in mind.
"We have only paid for the building and not the land, which means we will have to relocate."
Mr Hodgkinson admits the purchase presents an unusual dilemma.
He said: "This is a different challenge for us.
"Usually, we buy the land and look to build but here we have a building and are looking for land.
"After seven years, it's a bit tatty but, structurally, it is still fine.
"I'm a believer in good architecture and design and this is something I have tried to promote all my life.
"This is a good opportunity to bring it back to life."
Mr Hodgkinson says the building could be transfor- med into almost anything.
He said: "There are many potential uses.
"It could be a pavilion or a sales office.
"It would also make a good café and even a house if someone wants something a bit different."
Bidding for the building started at £5,000, with four interested parties.
Auctioneer Andrew Baitson said: "It would be nice for it to have gone for a little more but that was the best bid on the day.
"We had a decent amount of interest and we hope it will be put to good use."
Ian Brown, chairman of trustees behind the centre, said the decision to close had been taken "with deep regret".
He said: "The organisation has been unable to secure funding to allow it to continue to operate, and the company will shortly be officially wound up."
The centre has enjoyed a mixed history since opening in 2006.
The Hull project attracted support from Hull City and East Riding councils as well as the Heritage Lottery Fund and the now defunct Government-funded Gateway regeneration programme.
London architect Neil McLaughlin won awards for his design for the centre, which was based on recycling materials with a common link to Hull and the surrounding area.
However, a leaking roof prompted a six-month closure just two years after it opened, while ambitious proposals to project moving images on the roof never got off the drawing board.
An increasing squeeze on funding caused by the economic downturn has limited its work in recent years.
