A new chapter is beginning for Highland Square’s Leonora Hall after a nonprofit organization, Grace House Akron, purchased the property with the unexpected help of an anonymous donor.
The three-building complex at the corner of North Portage Path and Edgerton Road, which includes the former 1918 Kerch mansion, sold for $2.78 million, according to the Summit County Fiscal Agent’s website.
The acquisition means the property has a new owner following the closure of the Francesca Residence and the displacement of its mostly elderly residents.
In a statement, Grace House representative Jen Boroff said that the nonprofit, which provides end-of-life care and housing for people who are indigent, unsheltered or abandoned, sees potential for the site to strengthen its mission and serve the broader community but that the organization has not yet decided how it will use the property.
Grace House considers what’s next
“This was not an opportunity Grace House had been actively seeking, but an unexpected opportunity that we believe has tremendous potential to strengthen our mission and serve the broader community,” the statement said.
The nonprofit will spend the coming months conducting “due diligence” and learning more about the site before making decisions about its future.
The organization received land from Summa Health in Akron’s North Hill neighborhood in 2019 to develop its comfort-care home, which provides safe shelter, care with dignity and compassion and a nurturing environment for individuals with terminal illnesses.
Construction began in October 2021 and was completed in August 2022.
The opportunity to honor Leonora Hall’s history and the site’s “foundation of love and service” will be part of the property’s next chapter, the statement said.
“When we know more, we’ll share more.”
What happened to Leonora Hall?
In an Oct. 22, 2025, letter, the Daughters of Divine Charity said it was no longer financially sustainable to continue managing the buildings and asked residents to move out by Dec. 1. Many of the residents were in their 70s, 80s and 90s and had no plans for where they would go next.
There were attempts to find a way to keep the residents at Leonora Hall, including efforts to find potential buyers who would allow residents to remain during the transition. Those efforts did not succeed, and the residents were ultimately displaced when the facility closed.
The property was later put up for auction with an opening bid price of $700,000, but it was purchased before the auction took place. It includes about 139,362 square feet and has served various purposes over the years, including as Leonora Hall and later the Francesca Residence assisted-living facility.
