Our official Halloween listing is supposedly no longer haunted, but post-ghost is good enough for us. The George C. Gardner House, circa 1835, was part of a bitter divorce during the 1990s that left the property so dilapidated it ended up being gawked at on the Nantucket Ghost Walk. The rumors of rattling silverware at dinner parties and strange footsteps at night were enough for us to put it on our map of Cape & Islands haunted houses, but since a 2004/2005 first class nip and tuck, the Gardner House apparently is no longer worthy of the ghost tour. Does that mean the ghosts have moved out? According to some, "Ghosts don't take kindly to renovation," but we doubt they'd stick around for all the noise that comes with a complete restoration.
The eight bedroom, nine and a half bath residence "now offers every possible convenience for modern day living." The garage/carriage/guest house includes three additional bedroom suites plus a second kitchen. There's also a private pool within an enclosed courtyard, a feature no longer permitted by the Historic District Commission. The 6,148 sq. ft. property first hit the market in May 2011 asking $11.5M. Three pricechops later, the ghost-free listing is asking $8,875,000.
· Listing: 141 Main Street, Nantucket [Maury People Sotheby's International Realty via Zillow]
· Boo! Mapping Haunted Houses on the Cape and Islands [Curbed Cape Cod]
· A Real Estate Mystery On Proper Nantucket [New York Times]
· Sleek Revival [Cape Cod Times]