On the Market in the Poconos: Unfinished Victorian in Cresco

A good bit of restoration and renovation work has already been done on this impressive Victorian at 107 W. Grace Ave., Cresco, PA 18326, but as those open brick arches and poles holding up the porch make clear, much work remains. It’s not quite a blank canvas, but it comes awfully close. | Pocono Mountains Association of Realtors MLS images via Keller Williams Real Estate – Stroudsburg

Who wants to buy a fixer-upper in the Poconos?

Maybe you just might, given that this Cresco Victorian house for sale is being sold as it is in the process of being rehabbed.

Foyer (with barrel vault ceiling), dining room, and possible home office to right of foyer

The bones and guts of the makeover are largely in place. All you have to do is hang the skin on them.

Living room

Or you could alter the layout to suit your purposes — combining some rooms into suites, for instance.

Kitchen

To an extent, that is. For instance, the kitchen is fairly well along in its renovations.

Exterior side and front

Exterior rear

The chimneys need restoring on the outside of this Second Empire grande dame, but as you can see from some of the photos, fireplaces and mantels have already been picked out.

Bedroom

Bedroom

Bedroom under cupola

You may note that the owner is quite fond of vaulted ceilings. Shallow vaults, steep vaults and barrel vaults abound in the design.

Wine cellar

The most interesting ones, however, are the brick vaults in the basement wine cellar.

This house has great potential as either a residence or a guest house. It could contain anywhere from four to eight bedrooms, and it is configured for four full bathrooms.

Staircase

Not all of the owner’s choices to date have been wise ones, though. For instance, the decision to install a curving metal staircase in this vintage-1902 structure. At the very least, I would suggest railings more in line with the house’s architecture than these simple steel ones are.

That this Cresco Victorian house for sale is being sold with a renovation already well along does raise an interesting question: Why? Does the owner lack the money needed to complete the job? Did something else derail plans? I contacted the listing agent seeking an answer, but as of this writing have gotten no response.

But let’s leave the why aside for now. By buying this house the listing agent calls “the grand lady of Mountainhome” and finishing the job its owner started, you have a rare opportunity to create a residence (or a business) that is truly your own.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 8

BATHS: 4

SQUARE FEET: 9,700

SALE PRICE: $950,000

107 W. Grace Ave., Cresco, PA 18326 [James Galligan | Keller Williams Real Estate – Stroudsburg]