This is why I love scouting the Bronx.

Because you’ll be driving down a street lined with typical Bronx apartment buildings, the last place you’d expect to stumble on anything outside the norm…

…when all of a sudden, you’ll notice something minor – maybe a break in the trees up ahead…

And I swear, in the Bronx, these little snippets always have a habit…

…of turning out to be something really incredible:

As I jumped out of my car and started taking pictures of the beautiful property at 1857 Anthony Avenue, someone saw me and yelled out “Don’t get too close to the haunted mansion!” And I realized he was right – I don’t know if I’ve come across a more archetypal haunted mansion-esque home (of the stone variety) in New York City.

Want further proof? From the myriad of rusted gates (sealed by chains, no less!), worn stone steps, and withered trees, tell me this doesn’t seem like the fuel for dozens of local ghost stories:

And it gets even better – because 1857 Anthony Avenue is watching you. Look to the top of the steps…

…and you’ll see a pair of ornamental figures whose eyes are just waiting to dart left and right when you’re not looking:

The other figure:

A bit of history: 1857 Anthony Avenue was built in 1896 by Edwin Shuttleworth, a stonedealer, at a time when this area of the Bronx was a prosperous suburb.

The Shuttleworth mansion was constructed on “Mount Hope,” a hill that was formerly part of the nearby Buckhout farmland.

One of my favorite features is the front gable, with its wonderful ornamental railing. Does it get any more Addams Family than this?

I also love the two “candle-snuffer” towers…

As I was shooting the right tower, I noticed something…

Someone else was watching me!

In fact, if you swing around to the side…

You’ll find quite a few faces keeping watch…

Here’s another on the tower…

A close-up:

And another on the side:

Who are these faces? Judging by Shakespeare’s appearance, they’re presumed to all be famous men, but most remain unidentified:

The house was sold in 2007 for $675,000 by a seller who had lived there for 70 years. The new owners have vowed to restore it to its previous opulence.

One final note: there’s an old garage at the rear of the property.

One of the walls appears to have fallen off, and it’s really neat to see the ancient timbers inside:

Of course, the haunted mansion effect is somewhat seasonal – during the summer, the green vegetation makes the place quite a lot cheerier.

But never forget that 1857 Anthony Avenue is always watching.

-SCOUT

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