A historic net shed sits over the Columbia River off 31st Street in Uppertown.

The historic net shed on the Columbia River known as “Big Red” has been sold.

Sarah Jane Bardy, of Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty, listed the building for $129,000 in September in the hopes of attracting more prospective buyers. The property had been up for sale for several years and the asking price was $475,000 in 2017.

The strategy paid off. Scott Dyer, of Wilsonville, was handed the deed to the building on Nov. 15.

Dyer declined to comment through his real estate broker.

“Big Red is iconic to Astoria and I want nothing more than to see it saved and reborn,” Bardy told The Astorian in an email.

The building off 31st Street in Uppertown dates back to 1897, when it was constructed as a fish transfer station and a place to dry and repair fishing nets. Though it was once one of many structures built out over the river, it now stands alone, a remnant of Astoria’s rich fishing history.

Until now, the building had been owned by Sarah Nebeker, a former Clatsop County commissioner who expressed a desire for the next owner to keep it alive for the sake of history, the local community and the state.

Nebeker’s late husband, renowned artist Royal Nebeker, had used the space as an art studio until the Great Coastal Gale of 2007 caused significant damage.

Bardy said she was extremely grateful that Gearhart real estate agent Christy Coulombe and the Nebeker family had given her the “opportunity to have a hand in passing the torch of Big Red onto the next steward.”

“What I can tell you is that the new owners are artists and their intention is to restore the building in keeping with Royal Nebeker’s vision and to have it once again become a creative space open to community engagement,” Bardy said.