We have just learned that the mansion once owned by the late opera star Maria Jeritza (1887-1982) is now for sale in Newark, New Jersey for $699,000. Although the ads for the place state that the property is currently abandoned, we would not let that stop us. We would pull into the driveway, march up the grand staircase, and host a banquet in the palatial dining room, which looks viable in the real estate listing.
And while we were dining, we would play a recording on Classical Archives of Jeritza singing the aria “Glück, das mir verblieb” from Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt, one of Jeritza’s operatic ventures. We wouldn’t be surprised if Jeritza herself marched down the stairs while this selection is playing and joined us at the table for a plate of shasklik.
We want to own this place so we can listen to this Classical Archive track in the right setting!
Maria Jeritza, The Moravian Thunderbolt, who lived in Newark
About Maria Jeritza
Jeritza, who was nicknamed “The Moravian Thunderbolt,” was born in Brno, Moravia and sang extensively in Vienna before moving to the U.S., where she sang (among other roles) the title role in Turandot in the opera’s U.S. premiere at the Met in 1926. Tullio Serafin conducted. This lady was the real deal.
How did she come to own her mansion at 200 Elmwood Avenue in Newark, New Jersey? We have been able to learn that her third and final husband, whom she married in 1948, was a wealthy man named Irving Seery who owned an umbrella factory in Newark.
It all fits together. Plus, Newark is only a quick drive from Manhattan. Plus, the mansion is located in Newark’s Branch Brook Park, which was an ultra-luxurious locale at the time. Plus, none other than Toscanini was known to attend parties in the neighborhood.
We would encourage you to live, listen and eat in this historical property in Newark! Just a suggestion from your friends at Classical Archives.
Members of Classical Archives may click on the album cover to hear Maria Jeritza sing!
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