Greenbelt Knoll facts for kids
|
Greenbelt Knoll Historic District
|
|
House in Greenbelt Knoll
|
|
 Location in Philadelphia
Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 1–19 Longford St., roughly bounded by Holme Ave. and Pennypack Park Greenway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| Built | 1952–1957 |
| Architect | Montgomery & Bishop, Louis Kahn and Harry Duncan |
| Architectural style | Modernist |
| NRHP reference No. | 10001030 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | December 14, 2010 |
Greenbelt Knoll is a special neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built between 1952 and 1957. What makes it unique? It was one of the very first neighborhoods in the United States designed to be racially integrated. This means people of different races were encouraged to live there together.
The person who developed Greenbelt Knoll was Morris Milgram. He was a leader in the "open housing" movement, which worked to make sure everyone could buy a home, no matter their race. Milgram made sure that 55 percent of the homes were sold to white families and 45 percent to non-white families. The first house was sold in 1956 for $20,000. This small, quiet neighborhood even had its own swimming pool, though it was filled in around 1985.
Designing the Homes
Greenbelt Knoll has eighteen single-story homes. Originally, there were nineteen. These homes are built in a cul de sac (a street with only one way in or out) on Longford Street. The neighborhood is surrounded by Pennypack Park, which is a large green area.
The homes have a simple, modern look. They were designed by the architectural firm of Montgomery & Bishop. They also worked with famous architects like Louis Kahn and Harry Duncan, and landscape architect Margaret Lancaster Duncan.
Awards for Design
Greenbelt Knoll won several awards for its excellent design.
- The American Institute of Architects gave it an award.
- House and Home and Better Homes and Gardens magazines also recognized its design.
- The National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) gave it a "Homes for Better Living" award.
Richardson Dilworth, who was the Mayor of Philadelphia, also praised the design. He gave Montgomery & Bishop a special tribute. He said their design "brought new standards of contemporary residential architecture to Philadelphia."
Who Lived There?
Many interesting people lived in Greenbelt Knoll when it was first built.
- Morris Milgram himself, the developer, lived there.
- Robert N.C. Nix, Sr. was the first African American to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Congress.
- Charles Fuller, a famous African-American playwright who won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, grew up in the neighborhood.
- The Rev. Leon Sullivan was a civil rights activist. He created the Sullivan Principles, which helped end apartheid (racial segregation) in South Africa.
- Fire Captain Roosevelt Barlow was a civil rights activist. He was one of the first African-American firefighters to join the Philadelphia Fire Department.
- Beverly Glenn-Copeland, a well-known new age folk-jazz musician, also lived there.
A Historic Place
Greenbelt Knoll is recognized as an important historic site.
- It was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 2006.
- It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
- A special plaque from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marks the site.
Most of the homes (seventeen of them) are considered "contributing properties." This means they still look much like they did originally and help tell the story of the neighborhood. One home was rebuilt after a fire in the 1980s, so it's not considered original. Another house was torn down in 1997, and that lot is now open space.
The neighborhood still has many trees and green areas. Both the houses and the landscape have kept their original look and feel.
