A house with no name

It sits on a patch of land at the south end of Capitol Avenue at Main Street; its neighbors are a boarded-up motel, the Cooley-Haze House (home to the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame), Cooley Gardens and the Grand River.

But,facing a $12 million deficit, the city has floated a plan to close the92-year-old Scott House and evict its users to other meeting locations.The move would save the city $7,000 it pays annually in utilities,Parks and Recreation Director Murdock Jemerson said.

Jemersonsaid the city would lock the house and would winterize it. He addedthat he was hopeful that boarding up the house would be unnecessary.

“The city has a $12 million deficit, and we’re looking for every possible means to lower our costs,” he said.

TomKlunzinger, head of the Lansing Coin Club, said five to six groups meetat the house, and until last week he was unaware of the plan to shutScott House. Mayor Virg Bernero introduced the idea among others inMarch as part of his proposed budget. The mayor’s proposals are stillsubject to Lansing City Council approval. Among the groups that meetthere are the coin club, the Mid- Michigan Herpetological Society(celebrating reptiles), the Garden Club of Greater Lansing, the Friendsof Cooley Gardens, and posts of the American Legion, the DisabledAmerican Veterans, and the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Thegroups meet at the house at varying times throughout the year, and meetcollectively as the Scott House Advisory Board. Each group pays about$100 each year to the city to use the house.

The Scott House, judging by its condition, is somewhat of a backwater of cityrun community facilities. Some walls are peelingunder duress of water damage. The attic, home to old boxes of sportstrophies, is scattered with dead insects. The Parks and RecreationDepartment uses a room off the kitchen for storage, which is almostentirely filled with boxes. Klunzinger almost fondly remembers timeswhen the house was invaded by bats.

“Over the past 15 years, the groupshave been concerned about the state of the building,” he said.

Jemersonsaid that in 1996, the city assessed how much a restoration would cost.It showed that it would take $534,000 to fix a host of architectural,plumbing and electrical issues throughout the house. The house is nowclad in vinyl siding, which is falling off in places, revealing thehome’s original halftimber and stucco Tudor revival façade.

“Again,that was in 1996,” he said. “You could probably tack on another 30 to40 percent now. You’re looking at $1.5 million, maybe $2 million, toredo that building.”

Despite its condition, Jemerson said there are no plans to demolish Scott House.

JoanneBauer, a past president of the garden club, said that she heard thatScott House’s poor condition is due to the circumstances surroundingits name change.

In1978, Oldsmobile wanted to expand parking, but the city-owned JenisonHouse, then located on Townsend Street, was in the way. So, the citydid a trade: Oldsmobile agreed to move the Jenison House up the streetand place it on its current site. At that time, Oldsmobile owned theproperty that the real Scott House once occupied. Described as a“beautiful Georgian colonial” with giant white columns, the originalwas bought in 1907 by Richard and Gertrude Scott — Richard Scott cameup with R.E. Olds in the formation of the auto company, and by 1923 waspresident; he also donated to Lansing the property that is now theFenner Nature Center. Gertrude had the house demolished in 1965, notwanting it to be carved into apartments. The current Scott House islocated in an area of Lansing that was once a row of mansions built by Lansing barons, including Ransom E. Olds.

Onthe eastern edge of the property, though, is a remnant of the Scottfamily: a sunken garden that fell into disrepair, but was restored forthe city by the garden club in 1985. The garden looks like thefoundation of an old castle, though impeccable, and contains perfectlyround shrubs and bright tulips. Bauer says that if the group has tomove, it may not continue to maintain the gardens. Another clubtradition, the annual greens market, where Christmas decorations aresold to raise funds for the group, would have to find a new location.

“I think they would be very pleased to tell us where to go,” Bauer said of the city’s plans.

Insidethe Scott House’s main living room on the first floor hanging above thefireplace is a picture of Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero surrounded by thequeens of the gardening club. They are dressed in green and redChristmas outfits. It is the only picture hanging in the room.

“Themayor came by for the greens market,” Bauer said. “We always send aninvitation for the mayor to come to the greens market. Even the pastmayors will come back to purchase items for decorating their homes.”