Kensington Park Historic District
What better way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Kensington Park than by forming an historical district!
Kensington Park is the earliest neighborhood within the greater Kensington-Talmadge Community Planning area. Sisters Abbie Hitchcock and Mary Gleason retained real estate agent William Douglas to design the Kensington Park subdivision in 1909, and the subdivision map was recorded in April 1910. They co-invested to develop and erect cobblestone pillars topped by lighting fixtures to mark the entrances to what was then an exclusive rural residential community, only 13-minutes away from downtown on the Adams Avenue electric car.
The sisters paid the property taxes from 1911-1912, which shows they owned the property when Douglas announced the inaugural opening of Kensington Park on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1910. By then, Douglas had sold a number of lots and custom or speculation houses were under construction. Douglas bought out the sisters in 1913, and continued to conduct his sales operation at 964 Sixth Street in the commercial district, from where he also marketed houses and lots in University Heights. His home, built in 1910, was on the southeast corner of Marlborough and Adams and still stands today. It now houses the Zensational Salon at 4689 Marlborough Drive.
The Kensington Park Houses
Prior to the creation of the Kensington Park subdivision in 1910, one house was located in what would become Kensington. That house, a two-story Craftsman shingle, was probably built in 1908-1909, at what is now 4080 Terrace Court, and still stands today.
Between opening day and the end of 1914, the County Assessor tax improvement lists show 106 houses built in Kensington Park. Of these original houses, twelve no longer exist, having been located on the west side of Terrace Drive and subsequently demolished with the completion of SR-15.
One house, the 1912 Oscar Grunert House, was originally located on the northeast corner of Adams Avenue and Marlborough Drive, where the Emerald gas station is located. The house was moved to its present location at 4679 Vista Street.
Other houses have been demolished and replaced with commercial buildings, condos or apartment buildings. Another was demolished when the church social hall was built.
Of the remaining houses from that time frame, many retain their original historic façade and could be designated individually as historic resources.
Houses built before World War One
Here is the collection of pre-World War One houses in Kensington Park that still exist today. Most of these houses are potential historic resources and could be nominated for individual designation. As we gather information about each house we will add it here. If you have something to contribute, let us know… all help is appreciated! This ia a work-in-progress, so not all houses have been added yet.
4150 Monroe Avenue (1913)
