Flames swept through a historical mansion on Long Island on Monday night.
The 11,000 square foot Ebo Hill mansion was gutted by a fire in the town of Smithtown in Suffolk County.
The mansion dates back to 1843 when it was built for the Smith family, who are the founders of Smithtown.
It was recently purchased and was in the process of being restored.
The cause of the fire is still unknown. Would not be surprised if it was set on-fire to collect the insurance money.
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While a prospective buyer for the maligned Ebo Hill property in Smithtown has already begun landscaping around the ramshackle historic mansion this week, the property's owner said the sale is not exactly a done deal.
"I did sell it, or I would like to say 'yes, I sold it,'" said building owner Richard Longobardi, who also owns All Towne Realty Group in Smithtown. "Until the fat lady sings, I haven't sold it."
According to Longobardi, prospective buyer Frederick Greaves has not entered into a contract with him yet, though as a sign of good faith Greaves has been paying for certain rehabilitation costs related to the property, including landscaping.
"He wants to buy the house; we're very serious about selling the house," Longobardi said. Though he would not comment on the asking price, the owner told Patch in July 2012 that he wouldn't take less than $1 million.
The Ebo Hill property has been asn eyesore for years, a crumbling mansion that many people told us they'd love to see restored.
Originally, the land was owned by Obadiah Smith, the great-grandson of Smithtown founder Richard Smyth. The property passed through later generations of the Smith family, with the house that stands there now being built in 1856.
Greaves, a Lindenhurst man, has been emailing Patch for months about his intentions to restore Ebo Hill after learning about the state of decay at the house through one of our articles. He confirmed that a deal is in the works to buy the mansion.
Landscapers on the property on Wednesday said they have been working there for two days, mostly clearing a host of downed trees in the backyard that were toppled by recent storms.
"I'm really interested to see how it all turns out," said one worker.