Feigenspan Mansion

Feigenspan Mansion

The Feigenspan Mansion was the home of Christian Feigenspan, a brewery owner who manufactured the "Pride of Newark" beer. Feigenspan became famous for winning the silver medal at the 1891 Paris Exhibition. The mansion is also noted for being built to accommodate Christian's wife, Marie, who used a wheelchair. As a result, it is one of the prime examples of accessible design in high-end residential living.
This house was designed by Warringon G. Lawrence in 1905 who adopted the Second Renaissance Revival style. This thirty-seven-room mansion is a three story structure with three bays in the front façade and five bays on the side elevations. The materials used on the exterior are Roman brick and sandstone trims for the quonining, watertable, and moldings. The central bay on the front façade has an entrance arch with an aedicule framed by free-standing Tuscan columns. The aedicule is surmounted by a balustrated parapet around a baroque window with a broken pediment and side scrolls. The side windows on the first floor also have balustrated balconies and are capped with cornice caps. On the back, a glazed-in area serves as a palm-room.
It is important to note that this mansion is an early example of universal (barrier-free) design. A centrally-located elevator facilitated access to the most important areas of the house, while the bathroom shower stall enabled sitting.

1905

extant

The story of the Feigenspan company is linked to the development of breweries in Newark, that played an important part before and after Prohibition.
The mansion remained residential until 1999 when it was bought by the Community Agencies Corporation Peele Career Institute. In 2012, it was sold to Centro Cristiana Calvario Church.

Gordon, Mark W., and Anthony Schuman, editors. Newark Landmark Treasures: A Guide to the Landmark Buildings, Parks, Public Art & Historic Districts in New Jersey’s Metropolis. Newark Preservation and Landmarks Committee, 2016, p. 8.

Khavkine, Richard. "Historic landmark Feigenspan Mansion in Newark sells for $1.4M." The Star Ledger (February 15, 2011).

National Register of Historic Places, Feigenspan Mansion, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, National Register #77000865.

New Jersey Historic Trust. Feigenspan Mansion. Retrieved from http://www.state.nj.us/dca/njht/funded/sitedetails/feigenspan_mansion.html

Second Renaissance revival

Historic American Buildings Survey. "Feigenspan House, 710 High Street, Newark, Essex County, NJ." HABS NJ-759
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/nj0047/