Origins of Knolls Crescent/ Development & the Nane

[COGGINSS]

Does anyone have any insight?

I was told by a resident that it was built as affordable housing for returning vets after WWII, much like Stuyvesant Town.

But I love know more. Also what is the origins of the name which is so unique?

 

Thanks so much.

[Thomas Casey]

John McNamara in his book – History in Asphalt: The origin of Bronx Street and Place Names state that a longtime Kingsbridge family named Knowles disclaim any former ownership of property but point out there was an estate “Cedar Knolls ” W. 246th – 253rd was owned by the Hiram Barney family in 1856 .  It appears the name is just descriptive.

[COGGINSS]

Thanks so much Tom.

[Thomas Casey]

Your welcome,  Corporation  formed in 1953,,,,many issues later.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Gloria_in_Excelsis/De9GVbeWNsEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Knolls+Cooperative%22+bronx&pg=PA487&printsec=frontcover.

[garrett]

I read somewhere it was F.L.Wright’s original site for the Guggenheim.

[COGGINSS]

[COGGINSS]

Garrett, you appear to possibly beright. (although Knolls Crescent is in Spuyten Duyvil)

I wonder if Alexander Calder having lived in Spuyten Duyvil had anything to do with the possible choice of that site?

 

[COGGINSS]

[ndembowski]

Wow, never heard that one about the Guggenheim before!

I also wondered about the name.  There were a couple of places in the area with the name “Knolls.”  Hiram Barney’s Cedar Knolls as Tom pointed out, which stood on the site of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and Grace Schmitt’s “Knolls just south of W. 261st Street near Broadway.  I doubt either had anything to do with the name of this development though.

More Knolls information from the Riverdale Press in 1951:

 

 

[COGGINSS]

I’ve got the fever: gotta figure this out.

That said, I live next door to the “Fieldston Lod_e” (sic), rehab center which has nothing to do with Fieldston and is not a Lodge.  So these developers pick these names, sometimes just because they sound fancy.

[GodwinGD]

Relatives who lived at 60 were disappointed when 555 Kappock was buikt, as it blocked their eastern view over Kingsbridge to Fordham.

See the Knolls website for details of their operation today.

[Author]

Posts