BEAUMONT, Texas — One year after a fire gutted the historic Gilbert Building in downtown Beaumont, the structure still stands, surrounded by barricades, scarred by flames, and clouded in uncertainty.

But a potential new chapter is unfolding, as two local businessmen are now under contract to purchase and restore the building, aiming to preserve what they call an architectural gem.

Beaumont businessmen Chris Richardson and Rob Fuselier are teaming up to buy the building, which is still under current owner Tom Flanagan’s name. The sale could be finalized following a city council meeting scheduled for July 16, with a 30-day closing period to follow.

“Our goal is simply to preserve it,” Richardson told 12News. “It’s an architectural gem that we’d like to preserve.”

The structure was deem

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