Part of iconic Farmers Exchange is sold. Something new is planned
A portion of the iconic Farmers Exchange complex in downtown Kennewick could become an art gallery after its recent sale to a Pasco couple.
Amber and Dave Bruce, operating as Lion Hall LLC, purchased one of four buildings at the Farmers Exchange property and submitted documents revealing their plan to convert it to an art gallery and retail complex.
The $474,000 deal for 19 N. Benton St. closed in April. Banner Bank, the lender that foreclosed on a loan to Farmers Exchange, was the seller.
The city approved the site plan for the 7,000-square-foot building earlier this year, but no building permits appear in city records for the conversion.
The four buildings at North Benton and West Canal once comprised Farmers Exchange. The home, garden and equipment business closed in 2024 after a century in business.
Walla Walla-based Banner Bank bid $2.1 million for the Farmers Exchange complex at an auction outside the Benton County Justice Center in 2025 after it foreclosed on a loan.
Kelly McPhee, spokeswoman for Banner, said it was sorry to see the previous owner fail and is rooting for the future of a beloved building, widely known for its Purina-inspired red and white exterior.
“We definitely have been crossing our fingers and hoping someone would be interested and give it another chapter in its long history,” she told the Tri-City Herald.
She confirmed the bank sold 19 N. Benton and continues to seek a buyer or buyers for the remaining three parcels.
They are at 205 W Canal Drive, 215 W Canal Drive and 35 N. Benton St.
Early look at plans
Planning documents show the Bruces and Lion Hall, represented by Knutzen Engineering, sought a change of use for the parcel.
A line drawing indicates there will be a dedicated patio to the rear of the gallery and retail center.
The project appears to be in the planning phase and there is no sign that permits have been sought to update the space.
Officially, the city approved a Tier 1 site plan authorizing the change of use.
If it succeeds, the Farmers Exchange gallery will boost Kennewick’s efforts to market the historic downtown core as an arts and entertainment district.
Near neighbors include Red Mountain Kitchen, Blackthorne Neighborhood Pub, Players Sports Pub, DS Watkins Gallery, as well as the Tri-Cities branch of Heritage University.
The Bruces could not be reached Tuesday about their plans.
Century of service
Farmers Exchange operated for more than a century in downtown Kennewick.
The campus has been identified with Farmers Exchange since Alfred Amon and Carl Williams established the business in 1924.
They sold it to Emerald Silliman in 1939, leading to generations of Sillimans presiding over the property for decades.
The final owner, Christopher Ingersoll, bought it from a Silliman uncle in 2021 but was forced to close it a few years later, citing economic factors.