Howard’s tourism office soon may leave behind its cramped space in the post office’s basement to a more spacious, visible spot — upstairs.

“We’ve been dreaming about this for a long time,” said Rachelina Bonacci, executive director for Howard County Tourism.

The Howard County government plans to buy the post office building on Main Street in historic Ellicott City to create a new visitor’s center and preserve the historic building, County Executive Ken Ulman announced Monday.

“I think it’s going to be a tremendous asset to Main Street,” Ulman said.

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The county has signed a letter of intent to buy the building, which was listed on Preservation Howard County’s endangered list this year and is included on the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties.

The $640,000 purchase, which will come from the county’s public works budget, will be finalized April 1, 2008. The sale is pending an inspection period during which the county can make sure it can make the necessary improvements, county officials said.

The idea of moving the tourism office upstairs has been raised before, but the postal service recently agreed to sell the building. Volume at the Main Street location has declined since an office on Ridge Road opened a couple years ago, Ulman said.

The building is expected to maintain a postal kiosk and mailboxes, he said.

The tourism office has been operating out of the 2,000-square-foot basement barely visible from the street. The new space will allow more room for displays and could include a meeting space for county groups.

First, the building will need to be renovated, such as adding a new roof and other improvements to shore up the structure, Ulman said.

“It’s pretty run down,” said Mary Catherine Cochran, president of Preservation Howard County, which is working to secure grants to help fund the building restoration.

AT A GLANCE

Built in 1940, the Main Street post office in Ellicott City houses two murals painted in 1942 by Peter Paul DeAnna.

The oil paintings, which are in need of restoration, are among 16 post office murals in the state.

Source: Preservation Howard County

smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com