The City of Mableton confirmed the purchase of two historic buildings in the heart of the city as part of a bid to preserve its history.

The City of Mableton said it had officially purchased the Glore House and the Front Street Post Office building for a collective $560,000.

A Mableton spokesman said the purchase was an "opportunity to invest in Mableton to preserve history and to use this historic asset as a catalyst in the area to ensure that we can have positive development and revitalization of the historic Mableton area as a whole."

On Aug. 12, Mayor Michael Owens commented on the purchase of both properties at 966 Front Street and 948 Front Street, the Glore House and Mural Building, respectively, during a city council meeting.

Owens said the two buildings became available to purchase, so the city did so in order to prepare them for preservation efforts.

City officials, however, said that they do not want to rush the work, and will be making sure the "restoration is going to be done properly."

As far as the history of the buildings, both were built more than 100 years ago.

The aptly-named Glore House was built in 1912 by Dr. Homer Glore, the first mayor of Mableton.

The mural building, what was the city's first post office, then more recently a pharmacy and health clinic, was built in 1895, according to county tax records reviewed by city officials.