AKRON — An Ohio house up for sale seems ordinary from the curb, but the extraordinary artwork hidden inside is what landed it a feature on Zillow Gone Wild, a popular social media account that features unique and interesting real estate listings.
Inside of the well-maintained quaint brick Cape Cod in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood is a collection of artworks by late Barberton muralist Ralph Herzog.
His works cover the ceilings and the walls and even the cupboards of many of the rooms inside of the home, which is situated on the corner of Jason Avenue and Ninth Street Southwest.
And how it came to be that an artist − best known for his mural work found inside and outside of area businesses − ended up spending 10 or so years painting inside of the home is a curious story in and of itself.
Like many such tales it starts with an unlikely friendship.
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The home’s owner, Donald Nichols, was a former Navy man, semiprofessional wrestler, and president of a local boilermakers Union. But like Herzog he had an interest in music, antiques and the arts. Nichols also enjoyed surrounding himself with interesting people, so he struck up a friendship with Herzog.
The commission for one mural in the home led to another and another and another before Herzog died in 2020.
And when Donald Nichols died in March 2022 − the house and its permanent artwork was left to his two children, a daughter, Nicole Carl, and a son, Aaron Nichols.
Carl said the first real estate broker they contacted suggested just painting over all the murals and artwork to get it ready to be put on the market.
But the artwork is extraordinary and personal for the family, and they felt it should be preserved if at all possible.
Carl said her dad thought her then-infant daughter, Skylar, now 25, should be able to count the sheep in an upstairs mural when the granddaughter would sleep over.
‘Time for someone else to love’
Selling the home built in 1942 − now listed for $130,000 − was a difficult decision for the family.
“It’s time for someone else to love the home and appreciate it,” Carl said.
They turned to a family friend and Realtor Eric Cooper who grew up in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood and is a partner in its redevelopment and works for Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realty Portage Lakes.
Cooper said he’s listed hundreds of houses over the years, but this was is perhaps the most unique he’s ever seen.
It would be a shame to paint over the murals, Cooper said, so he suggested the family preserve and market its unique features, which include some stained-glass doors and one room that has a wooden floor Nichols salvaged from a church being torn down near his childhood home in West Virginia.
“This is a great house,” Cooper said. “Someone is going to love this house. It is so cool.”
Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.
