Historic Mansion Becomes a Makerhood

Clad in distinctive red brick and sporting its signature turret, the Krueger-Scott Mansion has long been a Newark, New Jersey fixture on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Gottfried Krueger, a German immigrant and wealthy beer baron, built the mansion between 1887 and 1889. During its long history, the mansion served various purposes such as a meeting place for local Freemasons and the home and business headquarters for Madame Louise Scott, a self-made beauty entrepreneur who is believed to have been Newark’s first Black female millionaire. 

In 1982, the city of Newark assumed ownership of the house. Since that time, the building sat vacant and neglected. But the Victorian-era beauty is now getting a new lease on life as the site for a unique and innovative mixed-use redevelopment project called Makerhoods, a place for work, living and entrepreneurship.

According to its mission statement - Makerhoods combines affordable living, shared spaces for light manufacturing, and business support to help people start and grow profitable businesses that create prosperity, secure their futures and create inter-generational wealth.

After the ongoing revitalization of the mansion, the historic building will have offices and co-working spaces, workshop areas, and space for public events and more. Construction crews have also been hard at work on building additional structures behind the mansion: “66 mixed-income apartments, 16 Maker shops, a greenhouse, a demonstration & commercial kitchen, a courtyard, and event space,” according to the Makerhoods website. 

The grand opening of the Newark Makerhood is slated for March 2022. Artisans and small business owners have already become part of Makerhoods’ special live/work program which entitles approved applicants to an apartment, a separate commercial space for their business, and business/entrepreneurship services at an affordable price.

We talk to Avi Telyas, founder and CEO of Makerhoods, and Erin Bush, Director of Community Impact & Initiatives, to get the scoop on this exciting undertaking that’s transforming a corner of Newark and transforming lives.

What’s the purpose behind Makerhoods?

This is a program for the underserved and minority entrepreneurs. It's about lowering the barriers to entrepreneurship by offering an affordable commercial and living place for any micro or small business owner who are looking to expand. And this program focuses on underserved areas that don't necessarily have the capital to expand and build a business.

Through Makerhoods, business owners have access to support services at a reduced rate. These services range from graphic design to product photography and access to loans at a good rate. 

So as a small business owner, they don't have to go at it alone. And the added benefit is, even prior to essentially opening their businesses, we the community at Makerhoods hold meetings where you're able to interact with your peers. We have digital spaces where they're able to ask each other questions or give suggestions. There’s a real sense of community engagement. 

That’s incredible. What kind of people have applied for the live/work program or the Maker spaces?

We've already selected the 16 makers after a fairly lengthy application process. They went through a very rigorous application. We started out with probably 100 interested applicants and narrowed it down to 16. For these finalists, we focused on two areas of interest: one was the food sector and the other was the health, beauty and fashion area. And we've got some fantastic entrepreneurs on both sides.

We have a commercial kitchen and demonstration space along with a greenhouse. We will have a café on site. There will be all sorts of food being prepared from vegan food to authentic Chinese cuisine, baked goods and ice cream. We have people making every type of beauty product that a girl can dream of. We definitely have a great range. A ceramicist will be on site and also a designer.