Krueger-Scott Mansion

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I remember when I first rode past the old Krueger Scott mansion as a young passenger in my father's car. I was fascinated by the long abandoned structure that had all the classic "haunted house" features. I was fascinated by the mansion, and I hadn't even yet discovered the long and interesting story of how it got there.

Constructed wrapped up on the gorgeous dwelling on 1889. The home was designed in a Queen Anne Victorian style by Henry Schultz, who was also designing the Kastner mansion at the same time. The new mansion at the corner of Court and High street was built for Gottfried Krueger, a German immigrant and beer magnate. Krueger came to America at the age of 15 and got to work at his uncles brewery. After familiarizing himself with the trade Krueger started his own brewery which would catapult him to success. His company is most notable for being the first to market beer inside cans.

Krueger's mansion was the largest home in Newark at the time it was completed. In addition, its location on High street was regarded as the most desirable residential area in the city. Despite the large, castle like abode Krueger was regarded as a generous man and philanthropist, a theme that would be common with the occupants of the mansion. In 1926 the Kruegers left Newark, and sold the mansion to the local Scottish Rite chapter of the Freemasons. Three years later city architects Guilbert & Betelle were called in to design a new 700 seat auditorium on the vacant land between the mansion and the old stables out back. Guilbert & Betelle should be familiar names to readers of this blog as they designed the cities greatest schools, each of which also boasted gorgeous auditoriums. One such example is the Morton Street School right down Court Street.

The mansion was once again sold in 1959, this time to one of of the most influential women in the history of the city. Louise Scott spent $85000 on the deed to the property. Rumor has it the sum was paid on the spot in cash. Ms. Scott moved to newark from South Carolina in 1938. She worked as a domestic during the day while going to beauty school at night. A tireless entrepreneur, it wasn't long before Scott owned an entire chain of beauty salons in the city. It is said that Louise Scott was Newarks first female millionaire. After purchasing the property she turned the mansion into the Scott College of Beauty Culture, where she tought young women the trade that made her wealthy.

Over the years the mansion became the Scott Cultural and Civic Center. The mansion was being used for a number of things, including a dentists office and daycare center, while still containing a beauty salon run by graduates of the Scott College of Beauty Culture. Even as Newark experienced a severe economic downturn the mansion was still a beacon of culture and success in the community. The late 1960s brought a lot of change to the area around the mansion. A tall apartment building was erected on the next block over, dwarfing the beautiful Victorian treasure and casting a shadow over it. Ms. Scott saw that the mansions future was uncertain, so she got the home listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. This was a critical move in assuring the mansion would stick around, even after she passed.

Louise Scott passed away in 1982, and the city of Newark assumed ownership of the mansion. As is often the case with historic properties under the stewardship of the city it was promptly abandoned. Looters worked their way inside and stripped out everything they could, leaving the Majestic home a barren shell. A handful of people banded together to try and save what remained. In 1991 the New Jersey Historic Trust spent more than $625,000 to stabilize the exterior of the mansion, which was matched by the city. Over the next few years Newark went on to spend $4 million to convert the home into a community center focused on the contribution of black citizens to the growth of the city. The federal government kicked in $1.5 million as well. However after 7 years of work the funding ran out, and the house was once again left to ruin. Very little has changed since then, aside from the auditorium and stables being demolished in the early 2000's. The mansion did manage to make it's way into pop culture though, appearing as a main location for the animated adult swim series "Venture Bros".

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In 2011 the site was listed by Preservation NJ on their annual list of endangered historic structures. A large barbed wire fence was put up around the property, which by this point was overgrown and covered in debris.

In 2017 plans to develop property with residential and commercial space were announced. The new development, dubbed "makerhoods", is planning full restoration of mansion. Tax breaks were approved for the project in 2019, and since then some minor work has been done.

No specific plans have been announced for the mansion yet, as far as what it will be used for. My hope is that the original plan to turn it into a community center comes through. Only time will tell.