The much anticipated and often postponed auction of the J.B. White’s Building on Broad Street turned out to be a well attended non-event.

The 80,000-square-foot property attracted only one bid that failed to meet the minimum bid required by the FDIC, which took over the project after the collapse of Duluth-based Haven Trust Bank last December.

Gurjit Jalli made an $800,000 cash bid for the former department store turned condo project once heralded as the cornerstone of downtown redevelopment. According to Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Margaret Woodard, the minimum required bid was $1.5 million.

When it became clear the minimum would not be reached, attorney John Erickson promptly withdrew the ad, further clouding the project’s future.