Even in crowded Hudson County, there are private homes that are oases of history and space, especially in the Kings Bluff Historic District in Weehawken, a high ridge facing the Hudson River.
The winding waterfront turn from busy Boulevard East is easy to miss, and its residents probably like it that way, since the small enclave seems like another world.
The first director of the CIA lived there.
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Stories behind owners
Helena Lobo-Zagorski, a real estate agent for Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty, which handles high end properties throughout the country, said that there is a lot of history in all of the homes along Kings Bluff. For instance, two of the homes currently up for sale in the area have stories behind them.
3 Kingswood Rd. is known as the Hillenkoetter Mansion (currently listed at $1.8 million). The pristine brick colonial was once home to the first CIA director, Roscoe Hillenkoetter. (The covert government agency was created in 1947.)
“It’s a very majestic house,” said Lobo-Zagorski. “It has a lot of history.”
Around the corner, the future residents of 1 Bellevue Terrace will be in for a special surprise if they spend $3.6 million to purchase their new sprawling “Mediterranean manor.”
A former owner of the home from the 1930s contacted Lobo-Zagorski to provide her with historic pictures of the home which she said she will pass down to the new owners. One of the photos shows an old view New York City long before skyscrapers ruled the skyline.
Lobo-Zagorski said that finding homes for sale in the historic district is not a common occurrence.
“Many times it’s a family home that gets passed along,” she said, without it being offered to someone new.
She noted that with the views available from the bluff, any size property can command upwards of $1 million. But many of the homes are situated on acreages that are unheard of throughout the rest of the area – making them feel like a suburban getaway that still lies within an urban area.
What’s in a name?
Kings Bluff was named after the King Family, one of America’s oldest and wealthiest families, who came to Weehawken in 1832 and built several mansions throughout Weehawken.
A 1973 newspaper clipping on the “Weehawken Time Machine” website details the history of Kings Bluff and the mark the family left on the neighborhood. The website also features several historic photos of the area prior to influx of home building that now exists along the bluff.
One photo features an 1917 advertisement of the home that Lobo-Zagorski is now listing for $3.6 million. The ad, which appears to be from Country Life Magazine, does not reveal the price but boasts that the home was “erected for owner by days work in 1907” and includes eight master bedrooms and a “garage with all improvements.” It also lists it as a “Spanish mission home.”
It also states that the home is 30 minutes from Times Square by the “West Shore Ferry.”
When the Kings left Weehawken, their estates were cut into parcels and ultimately into building lots.
Others to look at
Other homes throughout Weehawken are sometimes sold at prices looming around the million dollar mark, particularly if they have skyline views. Some of these lie far above the water along Boulevard East, while the condos in the relatively new Riva Pointe community on a waterfront pier also command high prices.
Lana Rose Diaz can be reached at ldiaz@hudsonreporter.com.