Selling the JJ Hayes Building in Wilkesboro

The building named after the late Johnson J. Hayes of Wilkes County, who served as a Federal Court Judge, is for sale. The 26,626-square-foot Johnson J. Hayes Federal Building on Main Street, Wilkesboro, is for sale.  The U.S. General Services Administration has declared the building surplus property and is selling it by online auction.  The Wilkesboro Post Office is the only remaining occupant of the building. The U.S. Postal Service did not want to purchase the property but would be interested in continuing to lease from the new owners, if possible.  Federal agricultural agencies and the Wilkes Soil & Water Conservation District were in the Hayes Building until moving to the new Wilkes County Agricultural Center last year. Federal bankruptcy court was held in the Hayes Federal Building until moving in June 2014 to Statesville. The Wilkes County Court moved to the new Wilkes County Courthouse in 1998.  The JJ Hayes Federal Building was built in 1969 on the former site of the Wilkesboro High School building. The building was named for the late Judge Johnson J. Hayes, a Wilkes County native and federal District Court judge.