A historic Water Street home and a nearby lot will go up for auction on the Beaufort County Courthouse steps on Oct. 23.

It’s been a long time coming, according to city officials. The property at 312 Water Street was condemned years ago; liens put on that lot and 324 Water Street. The out-of-state owner, the heir of Alton McCurley Wright, rebuffed all notices sent by city officials and, ultimately, the Newport News, Va., Sheriff’s Office. By court order, the properties will go up for auction, separately, at 10 a.m. on Oct. 23.

The city planned to demolish the Victorian home — its porch a hazard, its lack of security inviting trespassers. But a contingent of historical preservationists stepped in and asked the city to allow someone the opportunity to put it back to rights and rehabilitate the property rather than let it go the way of many historical homes. The city agreed. A year later, the home will be given a new chance at life, provided someone makes the first bid.

“As long as the lien is satisfied, that’s all we’re looking for,” said Brian Alligood, Washington city manager. “We’re hopeful that those who are interested in it will step up and do what they said they were going to.”

The home at 312 Water Street was built sometime between 1887 and 1891 by T.E. and M.A. Warren, according to Jennifer Brennan, the city’s community development planner. Brennan is one of the few who has been inside the house: the first floor is three rooms and an add-on kitchen to the rear; the second floor has two rooms and a bathroom.

“Considering the number of rooms, they are all good-sized, usable spaces,” Brennan said.

The flooring is hardwood, covered by rugs; bargeboard (planked) walls decorate the interior. Remnants of a past life remain in a bed upstairs, a Victorian wood-framed couch and random detritus. In all, it’s a mess.

“I’ve been in a lot of old houses,” Brennan said. “This house didn’t creep me out the way some of them do, but it’s really dirty. Unfortunately, people were able to get into it for so long, you don’t really know what was going on (inside).”

It’s salvageable, but not without a lot of work. While the lien on the house is approximately $11,000, a new owner could expect to spend about 10 times that amount rehabilitating the house to its former glory.

“It’s a pretty expensive rehabilitation,” Brennan said. “Just bringing it up to what people expect in today’s homes will take extensive work.”

One problem is a hole in the roof has let the elements into one of the upstairs rooms, but the damage is isolated.

“The roof is in bad shape, to say the least,” Brennan said. “It’s going to need an entirely new roof.”

But there are upsides to the property: it has a view that can’t be beat, one that takes in the Pamlico River from the train trestle crossing the river to the east and to Castle Island and the downtown waterfront to the west. An old-house aficionado would find its bargeboard interior and diagonal planking on the exterior worth restoring. An imaginative person could envision a double-decker porch tacked on to the front — a place to sit and watch the water drift by.

Brennan said she’d heard from five such people, interested in rehabbing the house. All of them are from elsewhere, but considering the location and the potential, she believes the house will be purchased. If not, the city will make the highest bid and decide what happens to the property.

“Our hope is that the folks who have told us they are interested in acquiring that property will step up and acquire it,” Alligood said. “That’s why (city) council did what they did — they didn’t tear it down. They were told quite clearly that folks wanted to restore that property and now’s their chance.”

The tax value of 312 Water Street is listed at $43,884; 324 Water Street is $30,960.