Photo courtesy of Real Living Wareck D’Ostilio Real Estate

A downtown New Haven retail and apartment building has been sold to a nonprofit that plans to open a soup kitchen and resource center for the city’s homeless.

Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, also called DESK, bought 266 State St. for $770,000. The 4,744-square-foot, 3-story building was built in 1900 and most recently sold in 2015 for $565,000.

DESK plans to convert the building’s basement into a kitchen and the ground floor into a dining room. The nonprofit plans further fundraising to renovate other parts of the building into “an all-in-one support service for the homeless” but plans to reopen the building in a limited capacity in 2022. The nonprofit said it serves over 4,000 individuals and families per year at its current base of 311 Temple St.

“This new program is part of a long-term, inter-organizational strategy to provide enhanced services for those most in need in our community.  It will be an important step forward in offering comprehensive services and breaking down silos that have isolated food assistance, homelessness services, and healthcare for years,” Executive Director Steve Werlin said in a statement.

Real Living Wareck D’Ostilio Real Estate agent Frank D’Ostilio represented both the seller, 266 State Street LLC and DESK in the transaction.