Nearly a year after an abandoned 1912 house in Highland Square sold at auction for $185,000 plus fees, its sale has closed — to a different buyer, for $100,000 more.
Holly Wiley said Friday that she bought the seven-bedroom house at 74 Maplewood Ave. for $289,000 to turn it into a transitional home for survivors of abuse. The property, known as the Parker House, will be called Willows Haven. Wiley intends to live there full time, while also housing four to five other women for up to six months at a time.
Wiley herself escaped an abusive relationship after eight years, she said, and her experience led her to want to create a home where women could go to regain their footing after leaving abusive partners. The house will be a nonclinical space, but Wiley expects to have group discussions and peer support opportunities. She’s also planning to study trauma therapy at the University of Akron, she said.
Construction on the house likely won’t start for four or five months, and Wiley said she knows there’s a lot to do. A year ago, when a reporter and photographer from Signal Akron toured the house, the three-story building had a three-story hole caused by water damage. Real estate agents referred to one bedroom as the raccoon room, based on its one-time occupants…