If only the walls could talk in this little green mint jewel of a house.

John Kosztak and Tori Mendoza are reluctantly selling their home at 7149 Wales Rd. in Northwood after 15 years of lovingly living in it and investing thousands of dollars in improvements and renovations.

Mr. Kosztak said the house — which still has its original woodwork, lead-glass windows, crown molding, glass doorknobs, and built-ins — was constructed in 1923 and was at one point a speakeasy.

“The house was built on Prohibition,” he said. “They built the house in mind with a place to store the hooch.”

Proof, he said, is the 7-foot-by-7-foot icebox or wine cellar — it’s even been referred to as a tiny tornado shelter — in the kitchen. Mr. Kosztak said when alcohol was illegal, it was hidden in this space, which came with a ladder that just fit the hatch.

“It’s pretty neat to be part of history,” he said.

Mr. Kosztak and Ms. Mendoza embraced the home as is.

“Oh my goodness, we did so much. We put a ton of money into the house, just to keep it as old-fashioned as we could,” Mr. Kosztak said.

A tour, which was recently given to The Blade by Howard Hanna’s Lynda Crank, is like going back in time.

Chandeliers and sconces from the 1920s still light the home. Built-in cabinets are in almost every room. Two sets of French doors flank the original fireplace in the living room.

The cherry on top is the upstairs master bedroom. Another original fireplace has ornate bench chairs on either side, facing each other. A Murphy bed opens up the space, and a cavernous walk-in attic could be a fabulous en suite space someday. There are eight windows on each of the four walls, which results in a steady breeze and a cacophony of insect sounds in the summer.

“It’s really fun. I like showing it,” Mrs. Crank said of the home. “Nobody else has something like this.”

The 1,742-square-foot home has three bedrooms and one bathroom.

The upgrades include an in-ground pool, electrical, and refinished woodwork. Mr. Kosztak and Ms. Mendoza also installed two fences: a black, wrought-iron and a nine-gauge chain-link that surround the one-acre property, with the entrance controlled with a remote.

They also built a carport to complement the three-car, heated garage; there is parking for nine vehicles.

The home is hard to miss, mainly because of its color.

Mr. Kosztak said they painted the exterior three times over 15 years. For the final coating they polled family and friends, who all voted for the mint green.

“We wanted to kind of brighten it up a little bit,” he said. “It’s an eye-catcher.”

Another highlight is the Dutch rolled roof. Mr. Kosztak said there is only one other roof like this in the area, on Brown Avenue in Toledo.

As a bonus, two 100-year-old wooden tables come with the home sale. The dining room table also has six chairs. Everything was refurbished by Mr. Kosztak, who is a retired carpenter with Carpenters, Local 1138.

Mr. Kosztak, 66, and Ms. Mendoza, 62, grew up on the east side of Toledo, both attending the former St. Stephen School. She spent 15 years in the Air Force, while he traveled the country for his construction career, building skyscrapers and football stadiums. They both married and divorced.

The reconnection was made at an East Toledo gas station 23 years ago; Ms. Mendoza was visiting from North Carolina. Their first date went so well that they met halfway in Tennessee the following weekend, then he traveled to North Carolina. On the third weekend, when she had come to see him in Toledo, she decided to relocate.

Fast forward eight years, with Mr. Kosztak living on Woodville Road in Northwood and Ms. Mendoza residing on Oakmont Street in Toledo, he happened to drive by the Wales Road home, which was for sale.

Mr. Kosztak asked Ms. Mendoza to go through it — even though, she said, she loved her Toledo home and would never leave.

“She took one look at the bedroom upstairs, we came downstairs, walked outside, and she said we’re going to have to rent the other homes,” Mr. Kosztak said with a laugh.

“It was that master bedroom,” Ms. Mendoza said.

They had some great years in the green home, but a downturn in Mr. Kosztak’s health led them to the decision to downsize. Ms. Mendoza still works, administering pensions for Northwestern Ohio Administrators Inc.

The couple is hoping a special buyer steps forward for their house, which has been listed for $250,000.

“I hope they take over where I left off, trying to beautify the house, and keeping it pretty much the way it is,” Mr. Kosztak said. “I want someone to buy it, to take over where I left off and bring it into the 21st century. It’s got so much potential.”

View the home listing at howardhanna.com.

First Published April 11, 2025, 11:30 a.m.