Jerry Siegel's next house

On my January 2007 photo research trip to Cleveland, my second stop (after Jerry Siegel's Kimberley Avenue house) was the house he moved into after Superman was a success.

The snow was still falling as I parked in front of it at 4 p.m. I didn't need images of this for my book, but I am a completist, so I took a couple of steps onto the snow-thick driveway and began to take pictures.

Then the front door opened.

A smiling man called to me to come inside.

"I'm sorry?" I said.

"Are you the appraiser?" he said.

I could have pulled a Lois Lane and lied so I'd get to go in, but I told the truth—and still got to go in.

I was quite surprised to find myself standing in my second former Jerry Siegel house in one day. The man graciously showed me around. He had not known the co-creator of Superman used to live there. I thought that might help up the list price. The only aspect of the house that dated back to Jerry's time in it (early 1940s) was a (refinished) bathtub.

However, I am not a complete completist because I didn't photograph that.