Pomona : Option on Buffums Building

The College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific has acquired an option to buy, or lease, the building formerly occupied by Buffums Department Store next to its campus in downtown Pomona.

Stuart A. Weiner, executive vice president of finance and business, said the college hopes to acquire the building by April 1. He said the owner, Arthur Gilbert, has offered to include a philanthropic gift as part of a lease-purchase agreement.

The two-story, 14,000-square-foot building, has been vacant since Buffums closed its stores last spring.