CANTON -The classically styled, sleek, energy-efficient complex known as the Metropolitan Centre was supposed to be a crown jewel for the Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority. Instead, it turned out to be a four-story chunk of cubic zirconia the agency wants to sell — as soon as possible.

The 54,000-square-foot Centre at 601 Cleveland Ave. NW opened in 2007. Today, it’s home to a nightclub, a Knights of Columbus, a physician’s office, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs office, a wedding planner and the Community Building Partnership of Stark County.

All good stuff, but not exactly intertwined with the mission of SMHA.

“It really serves no public housing purpose,” said SMHA Executive Director Herman Hill, who took over his post early this year.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development pointed out that glaring discrepancy in an Inspector General audit, released July 15. As far as HUD officials knew, the building was a senior center — the original intent during planning stages of the renovation project in the early 2000s. When HUD learned during its audit that the Centre was a commercial development, they determined SMHA had wrongly used HUD dollars to pay for construction work and ongoing operations at the building.