The 4-1 vote of the board put the property in the hands of a volunteer group dedicated to seeing the house became a headquarters for a county museum, a visitor's center, the Chamber of Commerce and Sylva Partners in Renewal.
Plans also call for the house to include a meeting room for use by the community.
Many others have indicated a willingness to contribute to the effort to save the Hooper House once it became the property of the foundation, said its president, Jay Spiro. The deed now in the hands of the foundation has a built-in waiting period established before work can begin. The Friends of the Library, which operates a used book store in the Hooper House, and the Public Library Annex have four months to vacate the building. No plans have been announced as to where these agencies will move. Some work is possible on the exterior of the house in the meantime, said Chamber of Commerce Director Julie Spiro.