Bargain basement: Magnificent mansion of retail tycoon Charles Woolworth is now a ruin - and on sale for just $295,000
- The 8,000 square-foot home in Scranton was built by Charles Sumner 'Sum' Woolworth in 1910
- Some original features are still intact, such as the solid hardwood paneling and fireplaces
- However the house needs to be almost fully restored, with some prices putting renovations at about $1 million
- One potential buyer was looking at turning the site into a school
The half-destroyed Pennsylvania home of the co-founder of the Woolworth retail empire has been put on the market for just $295,000.
The historic mansion in Scranton, first built in 1910, is the former home of Charles Sumner 'Sum' Woolworth, who created the now-defunct chain of stores with his brother, Frank Winfield Woolworth.
While the grand house is a vision from the outside - all 8,000 square-feet of it - inside it is in near-ruins.
Some original features are still intact, such as the solid hardwood paneling and fireplace, however the house needs to be fully restored, hence its lowered price.
Real estate agent Wayne Evans says he has shown the property to at least 20 people, but is not sure it is fit to be a home, he told The Times-Tribune.
Evans said one of the potential buyers wanted to turn the house - which has about nine bedrooms and five bedrooms - into a school.
Sprawling: The historic mansion in Scranton, first built in 1910, is the former home of Charles Sumner 'Sum' Woolworth, who created the now-defunct chain of stores with his brother, has been put on the market for just $295,000
In need of some TLC: While the grand house remains a vision from the outside - all 8,000 square-feet of it - inside it is in near-ruins
Some original features are still intact, such as the solid hardwood paneling and fireplace, however the house needs to be fully restored, hence its lowered price
The gorgeous windows in the sun room at the front of the mansion remain some of the original features of the house
According to the real estate agent, the price for the restoration has been guessed at anywhere from $200,000 to $1 million
On the market for just $295,000, the mansion in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was once the opulent abode of Charles Sumner 'Sum' Woolworth
The exact room count of the house is not clear because of the condition of the interior, but there about nine bedrooms
The sun room at the front of the historic home is one of the distinguished features, and very noticeable from the street
The Woolworth retail empire went out of business nearly 20 years ago, however this house remains part of history
Grand: The home sits on nearly a half of an acre near downtown Scranton, and features a incredible glass and wood entrance
'Some people have said they can get this up and running for $200,000, others said it needs at least $1 million,' Evans told the newspaper.
'For event space, you really only need to do the first floor.
'Ideally, any owner would recognize the significance of the home and preserve it.'
Sum Woolworth commissioned the home to be built in 1909, when the Woolworth chain was incredibly popular,Yahoo! Real Estate reported.
He had moved to Scranton from Harrisburg to establish a flagship store for the Woolworth chain.
The F.W. Woolworth chain went on to open more than 500 more stores, 15 of which were Sum’s, before merging into a massive corporation, according to the Woolworth Museum.
Sum turned out an offer to take over the corporation following the death of his brother in 1919, instead becoming chairman.
He then died in 1947 at the age of 90, and his house was zoned commercially.
At one time it was part of the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, but has remained dormant for years.
The historic mansion in Scranton, first built in 1910, is the former home of Charles Sumner 'Sum' Woolworth (right), who created the now-defunct chain of stores with his brother, Frank Winfield Woolworth (left)
Some of the original features of the house remain intact, such as the incredible wall etchings seen here
Some original features are still intact, such as the solid hardwood paneling and fireplace, however the house needs to be fully restored, hence its lowered price
While the grand house is a vision from the outside - all 8,000 square-feet of it - inside it is in near-ruins and needs a lot of work
Needing work: The historic mansion in Scranton, first built in 1910, is the former home of Charles Sumner 'Sum' Woolworth
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This must have been beautiful back in it's day. T...
by Yadicakes says... 444