Central New York ‘Zombie Mansion’ Comes Back to Life

Imagine (A) a gorgeous human being who was (B) horribly disfigured, and then (C) magically restored to his or her original beauty...

That captures the story of an amazing five-bedroom home on the eastern end of the Finger Lakes, in Skaneateles, New York, just outside Syracuse. The so-called "zombie mansion"--similar to "zombie properties" more prevalent in the inner cities of Utica or Rome or Detroit--was once the model home for a new age development that failed, and is now back and better than ever.

The home at 1819 Cherry Valley Turnpike was all set to lead the way for a neighborhood called the Enclave, an exclusive subdivision of million-dollar homes. Then, the housing crisis hit and the bottom fell out of the real estate market in Central New York and all across the U.S.

For close to a decade, teenagers held parties in the abandoned home, graffiti was scrawled on interior walls, windows were broken, and vandals destroyed the property. An article in Syracuse.com features some of the "before," "middle" and "after" pictures.

Through a series of recent renovations, the home looks fantastic again, and is now back on the market and listed for $895,000. Check out the full listing here.

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