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A New Berlin, WI, home that’s been transformed into a museum of live theater is taking center stage on the market for the first time since it was built in 1968.
And a willing buyer can purchase the 2,514-square-foot place—with everything in it—for $429,900.
Local theater figure John R. Dolphin has been the one-of-a-kind dwelling’s only owner. He has lighting and other behind-the-scenes credits for theater productions from every decade since the 1950s.
Dolphin’s brightly hued home has been curated throughout a decades-long labor of love.
“Over the last 56-plus years he has owned it, he has taken the time to pick up treasures from all of the different theater productions he has been a part of,” says agent Jennifer Hupke, who is listing the property with Mariah Marquardt. Both are with Re/Max Service First.
Basement
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Exterior
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Basement
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Dolphin, now 88, wants to sell his family home and move somewhere warm. Most importantly, he’s ready to leave his treasures behind.
“He said, ‘You only get one life, and I’ve already lived it,’” Marquardt shares. “So he’s not going to be terribly upset if someone undoes it, but he’s not going to undo it. I think he would very much appreciate finding someone who would keep everything and appreciate his work throughout the years.”
Kitchen
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Living space
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Dining area
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Dolphin’s decision to include the home’s contents in the sale is his attempt at attracting a buyer who might keep his vision intact.
“He would like to sell it to someone who appreciates it with everything in it,” Hupke acknowledges. “Obviously, we have a contingency plan if that doesn’t come to fruition.”
If the agents can’t find someone who wants everything in the house, they will enlist an entertainment-memorabilia expert to help clear things out.
“That’s part of our agreement with him, and we will be talking to some estate companies and some different theater-type companies,” Hupke says. “My guess is we’ll be donating a lot of it in his name to various theater organizations throughout the Midwest.”
Down in the basement, Dolphin’s home takes on a distinct performance theme.
“He’s named his basement ‘The Flicker Liquor Emporium,’” Marquardt notes. “He’s hosted well over 100 parties in the house, so it’s definitely an entertainer’s house.”
Basement
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Projectors
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Basement
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A spiral staircase leads down to an area with a box office, stage, bar, screen, and a room for quiet conversations.
“There’s so much character,” Marquardt says. “He built the stage himself. There are curtains, and he put the lighting behind the walls. Everything he did was intentional.”
There’s also a projection booth with two antique projectors from the nearby Miller Brewery. Hupke explains that the space has an exhaust system to mitigate the heat from the projectors.
Bathroom
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Bedroom
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Along with the theater-based attractions, the house offers three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, including an en suite in the main bedroom.
“This house has more bathrooms than most homes in the community, so the footprint of the house is attractive to some people,” Hupke says, adding that most area homes have only 1.5 bathrooms with no en suite.
The place also has first-floor laundry facilities, which was “super uncommon back in the day”—this amenity was typically found in basements during this era, Hupke notes.
The agents say everything in the house is in working order, and Dolphin will take care of a foundation issue before a deal closes.
Some fixtures and other items within the home have been updated a bit, but many originals remain.
“He still has wallpaper up,” Marquardt says. “Some people would consider that dated. But the design that he has—and I don’t know how he does it—it just makes sense.”
Hupke and Marquardt understand the unique nature of the listing.
“It’s very much suburbia where this house is located, so our challenge as agents has been to get people to appreciate the real estate for what it is,” Hupke says. “We’re getting a lot of comments on how cool it is, but it’s a little bit eclectic for the suburban market.”
The agents do have a buyer in mind—someone likely to preserve the home’s eclectic and electric vibes.
“It’s a theater kid,” Marquardt says. “Somebody who really appreciates drama and flair and doesn’t want a cookie-cutter house.”
The post Eclectic and Eccentric! This Wisconsin Home of a Theater Lover Is a $430K Ode to Joy appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
