A Revived Catskill Mansion: Check out the beautiful before-and-after.

  |  March 29, 2025

Today, Upstater revisits a revived Catskill mansion—built for a state Supreme court justice—where a president and an astronaut visited, once upon a time.

This Gilded Age estate was built in 1887 for New York State Supreme Court Justice Emory Chase.  Upstater featured it in 2019, it was sold in 2020, and it’s on the market again, with solid, gorgeous updates. Let’s do a before-and-after, shall we?

The current, creamy-white trim on the exterior, like around the windows and on the porch railings, was brown/tan in its previous iteration.

A green foyer showcased a magnificently paneled, white staircase.

That staircase has been preserved—along with pocket doors in a stunningly arched doorway, leading to a gray-and-white-muraled dining room. An interesting rattan-paned chandelier hangs over the dining table.

Previously, crystal drops held court here, surrounded by traditional wallpaper.

The kitchen used to have punched-tin on its backsplash, and granite-topped white cabinetry along with white appliances like double wall ovens.

A majorly modern overhaul has brought the kitchen into the 21st century, with a professional gas range, tons of sagey-toned cabinets, and a deep sink embedded in a reed-sided center island. Those big-paned French doors? We’ll see them again later.

This den was fairly staid, save for that long bank of custom cabinets. We bet both Gerald Ford and Apollo 13 Commander James Lovell had lively conversations here with the previous owner when they each visited separately in the 1980s.

Now, the room has been stripped down and washed in blue. We’re glad those cabinets have remained. They’re perfect for vignettes, books, or even hunting trophies.

This green parlor had an interesting, candelabra-and-drop-light chandelier, along with a marble fireplace and an ornately decorated ceiling.

The walls are blue, and we’re guessing the fireplace is on the other wall in this angle. But that cool vintage chandelier and the plaster ceiling remain.

This upstairs sitting room was plastered with wallpaper. We get it; Laura Ashley decor was a thing for awhile.

But now, this room seems to breathe easier with pale tones and natural textures.

Fire-engine red walls almost distracted from the stained glass on these doors leading to the upstairs terrace.

Creamy light greige replaced those fiery tones, highlighting the stained glass and inviting the view.

And it is quite a pretty view, too.

More wallpaper showered the walls in the primary bedroom, along with deep-red walls in the hallway.

Natural tones let sunlight be the star.

An attempt at neutrals was made in the past, with a distressed-wood-look wainscoting on this wall adjacent to a black fireplace.

Changing the fireplace color to white shows off its intricate details; it pops against a column covered in modern wallpaper. Vibrant green covers the walls, with a paneled ceiling and paneled wainscoting.

The house has three and a half baths. This one is exotic, with a clay-colored soaking tub within an oversized, mosaic shower. The same mosaic tile covers the floors. A green-and-white double vanity sits against a reeded wall.

This bathroom is little more traditional, with black-and-white penny tile covering the floor, wall, and the oversized, walk-in shower. Stained glass shines above a double-sink vanity.

The half bath has an interesting, charcoal-toned, wall-mounted sink.

There are those big-paned French doors: They lead to a deck and a wide flight of stairs down to the backyard.

A large, two-story carriage house is painted an imposing gray-black. The yard is fenced for privacy and is perfect to contain rambunctious kiddos and pets. The property totals just over a third of an acre, and it’s just a few blocks from Catskill’s Main Street.

If this revived Catskill mansion takes the cake, find out more about 25 Prospect Avenue, Catskill, from Martin Salerno, licensed real estate salesperson with TKG Real Estate.

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