Scott was born on July 30, 1895, in Richmond, Virginia. She attended
Bryn Mawr College from 1914 through 1916 and graduated from
Barnard College in 1921. She received a doctorate in art history from the
University of Chicago in the mid-1930s. She went on to teach at
Westhampton College, a women's college now part of University of Richmond. Scott became interested in architecture and began photographing and writing about Richmond buildings. She was active in the creation of the
Preservation Virginia organization. In 1935 she was instrumental in the preservation of the Adam Craig House, a dilapidated 18th century house in the
Shockoe Bottom neighborhood. Scott advocated for preservation during the rebuilding efforts following World War II and on into the urban renewal programs of the 1960s. She published the
Old Richmond News, a newsletter dedicated to advocating for saving neighborhoods and encouraging community political involvement. In 1982 Scott was named an honorary member of the
American Institute of Architects. Scott died on August 9, 1983, in Richmond. ==Personal==