A hundred-year-old 'terrible' painting is hidden in the wall of an old house

Nick and Lisa Timm purchased the building in Okanogan, located about four hours east of Seattle, in late 2021. They recently underwent renovations with the aim of turning the historic building into a massive bar.

Renovating the old building suddenly discovered a hundred-year-old terrible painting.

The couple's plan is to turn the 278-square-foot space into a bar and community gathering place, building on Nick's experience running bars and restaurants in Olympia.

The surprise happened when the first walls were demolished and the 18 meter long mural was discovered hidden inside. The picture existed throughout the time, the house also changed hands many times but no one discovered it.

Oil paintings along the north and south walls of the building depict peaceful scenes with lakes and green trees.

Nick said: "It took us about 20 minutes to tear down the walls. Then I discovered the wonderful paintings behind this solid plaster."

Two huge paintings are located on two opposite walls.

When the plaster peeled off to reveal a huge mural 18 meters long and 6 meters high. A member of the construction team who came up with the idea doubted there was still another painting on the opposite wall.

As expected, after taking down the opposite wall they found a second giant painting. The work group took about 4 hours to explore the entire artwork.

The old building, built around 1907, was once a complex with a cinema, swimming pool and even a cockfighting court.

The Okanogan County Historical Research Service said there was an article from 1915 about the original plans for the murals.

A local artist was then assigned, asking to paint the mural for the Central Theater at the time.

Nick took down the entire painting for careful restoration and refurbishment. Some parts of the mural are heavily damaged and they are trying to restore it as quickly as possible.

The couple hope to open the bar by the end of March but will now have to delay it by a few months as it could take until mid-summer to complete the restoration work.

The mural will be the centerpiece of the bar and other spaces will be filled with historical items. Nick's family has many items passed down through generations, so he will bring them to display, plus the products of friends and people around him.