Notable Inwood Residents

2
18140
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar grew up in Inwood. (Photo: Richard Avedon/© The Richard Avedon Foundation)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar grew up in Inwood. (Photo: Richard Avedon/© The Richard Avedon Foundation)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar The basketball great recalled growing up in Inwood’s Dyckman Houses in a 2013 New York Magazine profile: “The northern side of Dyckman Street was Irish, and the southern side was Jewish. I would walk from where I lived in the Dyckman projects up to P.S. 52—my mom decided that I could walk to school alone, but I had to walk right through the Irish section of the neighborhood. Later on, as an adult, I found out that she used to follow me, from a half-block behind, to make sure that nothing happened.”

Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball: lived on Dyckman Street as a teenager.

Lucille Ball At age fifteen America’s favorite redhead lived on Dyckman Street with friends of the family while studying at the John Murray Anderson-Robert Milton School of Theatre and Dance.

CKG Billings Estate, now part of Fort Tryon Park, 1913, Wurts Brothers, Source: MCNY.
CKG Billings Estate, now part of Fort Tryon Park, 1913, Wurts Brothers, Source: MCNY.

C.K.G. Billings This industrialist and noted horseman built his stables and later a grand castle-like estate, “Tryon Hall,” in what is now Fort Tryon Park.

Ruth Brall, Magazine of Art, 1946.
Ruth Brall, Magazine of Art, 1946.

Ruth Brall  Sculptor best known for her busts of African American leaders. Her work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum and the National Academy. Lived at 45 Park Terrace West.

German politician Max Brauer spent World War II exiled in Inwood.
German politician Max Brauer spent World War II exiled in Inwood.

Max Brauer This German political exile lived at both 10 Park Terrace East and 687 West 204th Street during World War II. In 1946, after a decade on U.S. soil, Brauer returned to Germany where he was sworn in a Hamburg’s first post-war Mayor.

Brooks Brothers in 1850. Left to right: Edward, Elisha, Daniel and John.
Brooks Brothers in 1850. Left to right: Edward, Elisha, Daniel and John.

Elisha Brooks One of the Brooks Brothers of clothing fame.  Had a home on Inwood Hill. An 1869 New York Herald description survives: “The house stands back from the river about 200 feet, and is a large stuccoed mansion, appearing like brown stone, in fine order, and worthy of occupancy by the first lord of the soil. Mr. Brooks’ place is one of the finest on the Hudson. The structure alone, without the elegant grounds, would be a fit abode for kings.”

The Basketball Diaries, Jim Carroll.
The Basketball Diaries, Jim Carroll.

Jim Carroll Author of the Basketball Diaries; the cult classic memoir later turned into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Lived at 585 Isham Street.

E.P. Chrystie, Source: The Brickbuilder, 1909.
E.P. Chrystie, Source: The Brickbuilder, 1909.

Edward Punnett Chrystie Artist, photographer and architect. Lived at 50 Park Terrace East. During his time in the neighborhood, he took countless photos of Inwood Hill Park, Fort Tryon and even a spectacular photo the Seaman-Drake arch which still stands today on 215th and Broadway.

Marvel Team-Up, 1972, 1st Series, No. 63
Marvel Team-Up, 1972, 1st Series, No. 63.

Chris Claremont Comic writer once lived at 10 Park Terrace East. Claremont, who made a cameo in the 2014 film X-Men: Days of Future Past, sometimes incorporated Inwood into his work. In a 1972 comic titled Night of the Dragon an epic showdown plays out in Inwood Hill Park where, “amidst the gentle trees overlooking the Hudson River, Iron Fist and the powerful Steel Serpent wage a savage fight for survival.”

Tommy Collentine (rear left) and other Longshormen friends in front of Neville's on Dyckman Street during the war. (Photo contributed by Pat Farrell who writes, "Tommy Collentine is first left in the back row, then Jerry Sullivan, Kennedy and, my Father Bill Kane (Kano) . First row Tom Stieigan (little Tom) and Packy Gibbons. They all grew up together in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. All went on the docks as teenagers. We all moved to Inwood during the war when rents were cheap and apartments were available.")
Tommy Collentine (rear left) and other Longshormen friends in front of Neville’s on Dyckman Street during the war. (Photo contributed by Pat Farrell who writes, “Tommy Collentine is first left in the back row, then Jerry Sullivan, Kennedy and, my Father Bill Kane (Kano) . First row Tom Stieigan (little Tom) and Packy Gibbons. They all grew up together in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. All went on the docks as teenagers. We all moved to Inwood during the war when rents were cheap and apartments were available.”)

Thomas Collentine   North River Pier 92 hiring boss whose murder inspired “On the Waterfront.” Lived at 39 Post Avenue.

Arthur Daley, Source: National Sports Media Association.
Arthur Daley, Source: National Sports Media Association.

Arthur Daley Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times sportswriter. Lived at both 96 Park Terrace West and 260 Seaman Avenue.

Thomas Dwyer, photo from descendent Pierre Dwyer.
Thomas Dwyer, photo from descendent Pierre Dwyer.

Thomas Dwyer Purchased the old Seaman Mansion in 1906 and used the still surviving Broadway arch as office space for his architectural firm. Dwyer worked mainly on municipal projects, monuments and museums.  His Soldiers’ and Sailors’ monument on Riverside Drive remains part of Manhattan’s urban landscape.

Lorrie Goulet and her late husband Jose de Creeft. (photo courtesy Lorrie Goulet)
Lorrie Goulet and her late husband Jose de Creeft. (photo courtesy Lorrie Goulet)

Lorrie Goulet Award winning sculptor. Studied at the Inwood Pottery Works as a child. Lived on West 218th Street.

Jesse Root Grant, Source: Library of Congress
Jesse Root Grant, Source: Library of Congress.

Jesse Root Grant   Son of U.S. President and Union General Ulysses S. Grant lived off Dyckman Street after marrying a local widow.

William Davis Hassler posing for selfie in 1913.
William Davis Hassler posing for selfie in 1913.

William Davis Hassler Turn of the century photographer lived at 150 Vermilyea Avenue #44.

Gustave Herz Early spark plug inventor. Lived on West 215th Street.

Syd Hoff
Syd Hoff

Sidney Hoff   A popular cartoonist, Hoff’s children’s book, Danny the Dinosaur, sold more than ten million copies. Lived at 585 West 214th Street.

Houdini in center with mother on left and Bess on right
Houdini in center with mother on left and Bess on right.

Bess Houdini The widow lived at 67 Payson Avenue after Harry’s death.

William H. Hurst (Photo courtesy of Hurst family)
William H. Hurst (Photo courtesy of Hurst family)

William H. Hurst President of the New York Stock Quotation Telegraph Company. Served as Grand Jury foreman in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire inquiry. His former home stands today on Park Terrace East and West 215th Street.

Samuel Isham, seated at left with other artists in 1889.
Samuel Isham, seated at left with other artists in 1889.

Samuel Isham This son of William Bradley Isham became an internationally known artist, though he is best known for his 1905 book titled “History of American Painting.”

1884 self portrait of Puck Magazine founder and Inwood Hill resident Joseph Keppler.
1884 self portrait of Puck Magazine founder and Inwood Hill resident Joseph Keppler.

Joseph Keppler Founder and illustrator of Puck Magazine. Lived atop Inwood Hill.

George Takei (left) Walter Koenig (right) in Star Trek publicity photo.
George Takei (left) Walter Koenig (right) in Star Trek publicity photo.

Walter Koenig Actor who played Ensign Pavel Chekov on Star Trek. Born in Chicago, Koenig’s parents, Lithuanian immigrants, moved the family to Inwood when Koenig was young. The future science and weapons officer attended P.S. 52, I.S. 98 as well as the Fieldston School in Riverdale before joining the crew of the Enterprise.

Heights Inwood Newspaper, February 21, 1974.
Heights Inwood Newspaper, February 21, 1974.

Carol Lynley Former child model and movie star best known for her role in The Poseidon Adventure. Lynley lived in Inwood and attended school at Good Shepherd.

Lionel Mapleson with Edison Home Phonograph and extra large horn, probably at the Metropolitan Opera House, circa 1901-1903, Source NYPL.
Lionel Mapleson with Edison Home Phonograph and extra large horn, probably at the Metropolitan Opera House, circa 1901-1903, Source NYPL.

Lionel Mapleson Former Metropolitan Opera librarian and creator of the Mapleson Cylinders. Lived at 10 Park Terrace East.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is seen in New York, New York on Tuesday September 2, 2015. Source: MacArthur Fellows Images and Video.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is seen in New York, New York on Tuesday September 2, 2015. Source: MacArthur Fellows Images and Video.

Lin-Manuel Miranda Actor and creator of In the Heights and Hamilton. Former resident of Park Terrace Gardens.

Inwood graduate John J. Powers tribute from 1943 Inwood Chatter.
Inwood graduate John J. Powers tribute from 1943 Inwood Chatter.

John James Powers World War II Congressional Medal of Honor winner. According to the posthumous citation: “He sacrificed his life when he deliberately dove his plane from 18,000 feet to an extremely low altitude before release in order to insure a direct hit on the Japanese aircraft carrier, making good his words to his pilots prior to takeoff: “Remember—the folks back home are counting on us. I am going to get a direct hit if I have to lay it on the flight deck.”  Attended Public School 52.

Arthur Sarnoff: Dogs Playing Poker
Arthur Sarnoff: Dogs Playing Poker

Arthur Sarnoff Artist best known for his depiction of dogs playing poker. Lived in Park Terrace Gardens.

Anthony Sbarbaro, 1916, Hogan Jazz Archive Tulane University.
Anthony Sbarbaro, 1916, Hogan Jazz Archive Tulane University.

Antonio Sbarbaro Drummer for the Original Dixieland Jazz Band.  His Livery Stable Blues was the first Jazz single ever released. Lived at 35 Thayer Street.

KISS musician Paul Stanley lived at 531 West 211th Street as a child.
KISS musician Paul Stanley lived at 531 West 211th Street as a child.

Paul Stanley   The KISS singer and guitarist, born Stanley Bert Eisen, lived at 531 West 211th Street as a child. In an authorized biography, KISS: Behind the Mask, Stanley recalled: “My family wasn’t that well off. When I was six, my father bought me a bike, which was the only thing I was given of any value. We weren’t affluent, but we survived. There were times when money was tight. In Manhattan, the four of us lived in a one-bedroom apartment; my parents slept in the living room and my sister and I shared the bedroom.”

Parks Commissioner Henry Stern and Queens Zoo Director Faye Witherell await the emergence of a weather-predicting rodent, February 1984. Courtesy of Parks Photo Archive.
Parks Commissioner Henry Stern and Queens Zoo Director Faye Witherell await the emergence of a weather-predicting rodent, February 1984. Courtesy of Parks Photo Archive.

Henry Stern The former New York City Parks Commissioner, who grew up in the neighborhood, once described Inwood as being “almost as little known to New Yorkers as to the residents of Illinois.”

Isidor and Ida Straus, circa 1910.
Isidor and Ida Straus, circa 1910.

Isidor Straus Former Macy’s owner had a home on Inwood Hill. He and wife, Ida, perished aboard the Titanic.

Dracula, 1931, Edward van Sloan on left.
Dracula, 1931, Edward van Sloan on left.

Edward van Sloan Played vampire hunter Professor Abraham Van Helsing opposite Bela Lugosi’s Dracula. Resided at 230 Seaman Avenue.

Tweed lived briefly in a castle that once sat on the current grounds of Fort Tryon Park.
Tweed lived briefly in a castle that once sat on the current grounds of Fort Tryon Park.

William “Boss” Tweed Once lived inside Libby Castle, which stood in what is now Fort Tryon Park.

Houdini at center, -with brothers (left to right) Leopold, Hardeen, Bill and Nat, circa 1914.
Houdini at center, -with brothers (left to right) Leopold, Hardeen, Bill and Nat, circa 1914.

Dr. Leopold Weiss Brother of Harry Houdini. Lived at 57 Park Terrace West.

Lost Inwood Amazon link

2 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here