Address:
81 Peterboro Street
Detroit, MI 48201
1887
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James Scott
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19000
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James Scott was a man who some admired and never said a bad word about, but apparently his supporters were few and far between. Apparently many in town had a distaste for him and his ways. According to some reports, Scott was a playboy, gambler, vindictive, ruthless and cutthroat. He told off color jokes and used intimidation to get his way in life. Scott obtained his fortune in rising real estate prices from land his father had left him. After Scott died in 1910, he left a large amount of money to the city of Detroit to construct a large fountain. Many felt it was an outrage to allow a man whom so many despised have a fountain constructed in his name in such a fine city. (Via http://1889victorianrestoration.blogspot.com) James had this mansion built out of spite - the neighbor would not sell his plot of land so he erected the giant mansion to blot out the sun. Scott never lived in the home!
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View of the residence of James Scott, located at Peterboro and Park in Detroit. Three-story Richardsonian Romanesque stone house has turret and arched entrance. Handwritten on back: "Scott, James, 1831-1910. 'Jim' Scott house, 1911." (Via Detroit Digital Images Library)
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A vintage view of the home in the 1960s
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This photo shows the bronze statue of Scott himself sitting in a chair overlooking his eponymous named fountain on Bell Isle. The fountain was designed by architect Cass Gilbert and sculptor Herbert Adams, the fountain was completed in 1925 at a cost of $500,000. The lower bowl has a diameter of 510 ft (160 m) and the central spray reaches 125 ft (38 m). The fountain honors the controversial James Scott, who left $200,000 to the City of Detroit for a fountain in tribute to himself. (Via Wikipedia)
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The pre-renovation view of the James Scott mansion (via Motor City Muckraker / Steve Neavling/MCM)
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Parlor
Detroit developer Joel Landy purchased the abandoned mansion in disastrous condition in 2002, later rehabbing it into 18 apartments. A Detroit architectural/salvage hero! (Photo via DANIEL MEARS, DETROIT NEWS)
