Krueger Mansion

Krueger Mansion
The Krueger Mansion in 2010
Krueger Mansion is located in Essex County, New Jersey
Krueger Mansion
Krueger Mansion is located in New Jersey
Krueger Mansion
Krueger Mansion is located in the United States
Krueger Mansion
Location601 High Street (Martin Luther King Boulevard), Newark, New Jersey
Coordinates40°43′57″N 74°10′54″W / 40.73250°N 74.18167°W / 40.73250; -74.18167
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1888
ArchitectHenry Schultz
Architectural styleLate Victorian
NRHP reference No.72000778[1]
NJRHP No.1277[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 9, 1972
Designated NJRHPJanuary 14, 1972

The Krueger Mansion is located in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The mansion was built on the corner of Court and High Street (now Martin Luther King Boulevard)[3] in 1888 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 9, 1972. As of 2023, it has been completely restored and elaborately landscaped as part of an artisanal workspace project.[4]

History

The 40 room mansion was built in 1888 by Gottfried Krueger (1837–1926), founder of Newark's Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company and owner of several other breweries.[5] The construction cost at the time was $250,000. The mansion was sold to the Valley of Newark Scottish Rite Freemasons in 1926 for $100,000. A 700-seat auditorium was added to the mansion to accommodate for various meetings. The mansion was purchased in 1958 by Louise Scott for $85,000. Scott operated a beauty school out of the first floor of the mansion while keeping the upper levels as her private residence. The mansion was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Scott died in 1982 and ownership of the mansion passed to the city of Newark.[6] In 1991, the New Jersey Historic Trust funded a bond for $625,812 to stabilize the exterior of the building.[7] The city of Newark matched that amount, and over the years devoted more than $4 million to turning the home into a center focusing on the black contribution to Newark's development. The federal government contributed an additional $1.5 million.,[8] but after a decade of work, plans to turn the house into an African-American cultural center were frozen by the city's Municipal Council, which refused to allocate any more money for the project.[8]

Construction

The mansion is a three-and-a-half-story, Late Victorian style building with a five-story circular tower. A wrap around porch, steeply pitched roof, asymmetrical facade and arched front entryway are characteristic of the Queen Anne Style. The building is a balloon frame structure with a brick facade. The interior consists of lath and plaster walls with wallpaper covering and wood molding. The flooring is made of hardwood set into patterns. The pedimented windows are an Italianate influence here.

Conversion to artisan housing and workspaces

In late 2020, the city and the company Makerhoods broke ground on refurbishing the mansion into live/work spaces for local experienced "makers" in the food, beauty, craft and other small-scale artisan industries for $1800 a month by application only.[9][10][11]

As of 2023, the mansion had been almost completely restored and landscaped.[4]

  • Corner of Court Street and Dr. MLK Jr. Boulevard.
    Corner of Court Street and Dr. MLK Jr. Boulevard.
  • Dr. MLK Jr. Boulevard side.
    Dr. MLK Jr. Boulevard side.
  • Court Street side.
    Court Street side.
  • Front Facade of Dr. MLK Jr. Boulevard side.
    Front Facade of Dr. MLK Jr. Boulevard side.
  • Front porch.
    Front porch.
  • The design of the mansion is featured in the animated series The Venture Bros., as the Fitzcarraldo Mansion.

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Essex County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. January 10, 2010. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  3. ^ Andrews, Jacob (January 5, 2007), "Boulevard in Newark Runs From Decline to Rebirth", The New York Times, 2011-03-20
  4. ^ a b "The Krueger-Scott Mansion, 597 M L King Blvd, Newark City, NJ 07103 Property for rent". The Corcoran Group.
  5. ^ "Gottfried Krueger of Newark Dies at 89; Brewer and Former Lay Judge of the Highest Court in New Jersey". The New York Times. November 8, 1926. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  6. ^ "High Street/MLK Boulevard: Part I". Newark History. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  7. ^ "Krueger-Scott Mansion". New Jersey Historic Trust. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  8. ^ a b Jacobs, Andrew (September 25, 2000). "Cost Hinders Effort To Reclaim a Castle; After $7 Million, Newark Wearies Of Restoring a Looted Landmark". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  9. ^ "Historic mansion neglected for decades in Newark slated to become artisan housing". 17 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Newark Makerhoods Live/Work".
  11. ^ "Newark, Makerhoods break ground on reinvention of Krueger-Scott Mansion - NJBIZ". 18 September 2020.

Media related to Krueger Scott Mansion at Wikimedia Commons