Claremont — The owner of the building that for years was home to Twisted Fitness on Pleasant Street has decided to auction the property, which he purchased a little more than a year ago.

Frank Sprague said the decision was not for financial reasons, nor is the June 2 auction a tax sale, but rather he cited recent health issues and his age as reasons for the sale.

The 65-year-old Sprague said he is recuperating from recent shoulder surgery and may not fully recuperate for a year.

“Right now, I can’t drive for 12 weeks,” said Sprague, a former principal of Stevens High School and current chairman of the Claremont School Board. “It is because of my inability to continue with the business.”

Sprague bought the three-story building at 19 Pleasant St. last March at a foreclosure sale. After cleaning up the interior and making other repairs, he opened an antiques shop on the ground floor. The business will close and is not part of the sale.

“We stabilized it and now it needs someone to take it to the next level,” Sprague said. “We are not sure we want to do that.”

In the short period of time he ran the 23 Pleasant Arts and Antiques Gallery, Sprague said the business did well.

“I am encouraged by the potential for downtown. We had a lot of customers come from all over the place,” he said.

Billed as an “absolute auction,” Sprague said it is a faster way to sell a property, but there is no set minimum so there is a chance for a low price.

Sprague, who said he is willing to accept that risk as there is no mortgage on the property, declined to say how much he paid for the property.

Built in 1900, the building is assessed at $176,200. Twisted Fitness closed in 2015.

Patrick O'Grady covers Claremont and Newport for the Valley News. He can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com