Here’s what I found about the James Scott Mansion in Detroit, MI. The mansion was built in 1897 and was left abandoned for decades, exposed to the elements, and ravaged by numerous fires. In the early 2000s, Detroit developer Joel Landy purchased the mansion from the city and began a massive restoration project. The project cost nearly $6 million and was funded by Landy, community development lender Capital Impact Partners, historic tax credits, and brownfield credits. The mansion was transformed into a 26-unit apartment building and opened its doors in December 2018
The mansion is significant for its history and architecture. It is one of the remaining castle structures in the Midtown neighborhood of Detroit and was built in the Romanesque style. The original owner, James Scott, was known as a playboy millionaire in the late 1800s and left money to the city of Detroit to build a fountain. The fountain on Belle Isle that bears his name was completed in 1925, 15 years after his death.
The restoration project was a challenging feat, but Landy was able to balance the old and the new. The rooms range from 430 to 730 square feet and vary in layout. The renovations are modern, yet they fit the historic nature of the mansion. The large moldings, baseboards, and casing were preserved, and the variety of windows in the front facade were duplicated. The stonework was restored, and decorative stone was cut by a stone foundry. The building code was used in a unique way to restore the building and make it very safe but it looked like it did in 1897
