Summary
Smoke Rise is an upscale gated community within Kinnelon in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The community was created out of the estate of Francis Kinney, a 19th-century industrialist who founded Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. The Kinney estate dates back to 1884, when Francis Kinney, a pioneer in the tobacco industry, built a huge "summer cottage" here. His son, Morris Kinney, for whom the borough of Kinnelon was named 41 years later, lived most of his life on the estate.[2]
Smoke Rise | |
|---|---|
Gated community | |
 St. Hubert's Chapel on Lake Kinnelon | |
  Smoke Rise Location in Morris County  Smoke Rise Location in New Jersey  Smoke Rise Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 40°59′43″N 74°24′09″W / 40.9953756°N 74.4023751°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County | Morris |
| Borough | Kinnelon |
| Elevation | 837 ft (255 m) |
| ZIP code | 07405 |
| GNIS feature ID | 880670[1] |
The community encompasses the 19-acre (7.7 ha) Lake Kinnelon and more than 900 homes located on 3,500 acres (1,400 ha). Smoke Rise was planned with philosophy that no two homes would look alike with a minimum size of 2,500 square feet (230 m2) located on wooded lots of 1 to 10 acres (0.40 to 4.05 ha).[3]
Located in the north woods of New Jersey, the gated lakeside community provides 24-hour security, activities, clubs and special events. [4]
History edit
When Morris Kinney died in 1945, he left the estate to John Talbot Sr. a longtime friend and real estate developer, former mayor of the borough, and a founder of Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pompton Plains, as a tribute to their lifetime friendship and shared love of Smoke Rise.
In 1946, when the need for suburban housing became evident, John Talbot Sr., founded The Smoke Rise Club, one of the earliest community club plans in the United States. Unlike so many developers, he insisted that the land be kept in its natural state as much as possible.[5]
When friends asked to purchase land on the estate to build homes, Talbot decided to develop a planned community designed primarily to serve New York corporation executives. The Smoke Rise Club was the result in November 1946. The name (Smoke Rise) is a translation of the Pequannock Indian name for the mountainous area, where a heavy mist often rises at sunset.
The private family friendly community is located entirely in Kinnelon, whose name comes from Francis S. Kinney, who purchased 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of land in the 1880s for an estate that included Lake Kinnelon and the surrounding mountainous area. Smoke Rise is administered by residents elected to the Board of Governors of the Smoke Rise Club, which must approve all residents' building plans. Inside the community, which can be entered only through two gates (North Gate & East Gate), there are over 40 miles (64 km) of roadway and approximately 900 houses on 2,500 acres (10 km2).
St. Hubert's Chapel edit
Smoke Rise is notably home to Lake Kinnelon and Kitty Ann Mountain, the highest point in Kinnelon. On an island in the lake is St. Hubert's Chapel, built by Mr. Kinney in 1886 and named after his favorite patron saint of the hunt. It was built in the style of an 8th-century stone chapel in tribute to the saint who lived in the 7th and 8th centuries. Kinney later commissioned Louis C Tiffany to expand and enhance the chapel including a Celtic cross stained glass window and a Tiffany-signed mosaic floor among other things. The Chapel is owned by the Smoke Rise Club who can be contacted for more information including tours. Kitty Ann mountain offers views of northern New Jersey and the distant New York City skyline at an elevation of 1,140 feet (350 m) from the Smoke Rise Tower.
Community edit
The neighborhood also includes one church, the Community Church of Smoke Rise, the Smoke Rise Village Inn, the Smoke Rise Tennis Club and other recreation facilities. It is home to the Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Company - Company 3 Fire House. The Village Inn and the Community Church are open to members and non-members of the community.
Location edit
Smoke Rise residents enjoy the close proximity to New York City.[6] Nearby highways include Interstate 287, Route 23, and Route 208. The population consists of a vast variety of professionals, entrepreneurs, and executives.[3]
The community has two entrances: one from Route 23 south (North Gate) and the other from Kinnelon Road (East Gate).
Notable people edit
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Smoke Rise include:
- Rand Araskog (1931–2021), manufacturing executive, investor, and writer who served as the CEO of ITT Corporation[7]
- Missy Elliott (born 1971), rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and philanthropist[8]
- Herbert O. Fisher (1909–1990), test pilot and an aviation executive[9]
- Rene Joyeuse (1920-2012), World War II operative, spy and saboteur with the OSS, who was a physician, professor and researcher, co-founder of the American Trauma Society and the first person born in Switzerland to be honored with a burial in Arlington National Cemetery[10]
- Stearns Matthews (born 1984), cabaret singer, recording artist, director, teacher and pianist[11]
- John Alden Talbot Jr. (1920-2006), Founder of the Smoke Rise Company / Smoke Rise Community - Founder of Smoke Rise, one of the first private, gated communities in the United States.[12][13]
- Harry L. Towe (1898–1977), Congressman who represented New Jersey's 9th congressional district from 1943 to 1951[14]
References edit
- ^ "Smoke Rise". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ DePalma, Anthony. "Exclusive Tract Gets A Second Chance", The New York Times, August 21, 1983. Accessed May 17, 2023. "Since 1947, several developers have tried to convert its 3,500 unspoiled acres, a short 30- mile commute from Manhattan, into the quintessential residential club community, where a limited number of wealthy families could live and enjoy sailing, horseback riding, tennis and private restaurant dining in the utmost security."
- ^ a b Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In/Kinnelon, N.J.; Residential Life Amid Natural Beauty", The New York Times, June 1, 2003. Accessed August 21, 2012. "Ms. Dunner Parker knew the area through a brother who lived in Kinnelon's Smoke Rise section, a 3,500-acre, 900-home gated community that describes itself in its promotional literature as 'one of America's most prestigious club communities' and 'elite, yet affordable.' Covering the borough's northwestern quadrant, Smoke Rise's lots are heavily wooded and range in area from 1 to 10 acres, with the most valuable properties fronting on the 19-acre Lake Kinnelon."
- ^ "Smoke Rise Club - FAQs".
- ^ "Smoke Rise Club - Home Page". Smokerise-nj.com. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
- ^ "Smoke Rise Club - About". Smokerise-nj.com. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
- ^ Lowry, Tom. "At Garden, he's the boss", New York Daily News, June 18, 1995. Accessed May 10, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "He and his wife, Jessie, divide their time between their Park Ave. duplex, a spread in Smoke Rise, N J., and a house in the Hamptons."
- ^ "What is Missy Elliot's Net Worth?". February 25, 2018.
- ^ "Herbert O. Fisher, 81, Test Pilot and Official", The New York Times, August 3, 1990. Accessed February 19, 1990. Accessed February 19, 2020. "Herbert O. Fisher, a test pilot and a retired aviation executive of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, died on Sunday at Chilton Memorial Hospital in Kinnelon, N.J. He was 81 years old and lived in Kinnelon."
- ^ ""Rene Joyeuse 92, was a Swiss, French and American soldier, physician and researcher, who distinguished himself as an agent of Allied intelligence in German-occupied France during World War II and a founding member of the American Trauma Society", The Washington Post, March 28, 2013. "Swiss-born man to rest in Arlington cemetery for spy work in WWII."
- ^ "Anne Steele Wins First Prize At MetroStar Talent Challenge", BroadwayWorld, August 20, 2008. Accessed January 27, 2020. "Steele, who beat out her co-finalists Stearns Matthews and Nesha Ward, proved to be the most consistent of the finalists, earning high marks week after week.... Matthews, who is 24, made his professional stage debut in MetroStar. The Kinnelon, New Jersey, native recently graduated from the Westminster Choir College in Princeton."
- ^ [1]"John A. Talbot, Jr. (1920 - 2006) Obituary" He was the president of Smoke Rise Company Kinnelon, NJ. Together with his father, the late J. Alden Talbot, he founded Smoke Rise as one of the first private, gated communities in the United States. He served as President of the Smoke Rise Company for over forty years. He was a former trustee of the Smoke Rise Club and served as Chairman of the Membership Committee.
- ^ [2] LIFE Magazine Life goes to a party Photo and article on John Alden Talbot jr., Gotham Playboy and heir to a new York banking Fortune.
- ^ "Harry L. Towe, at 92, had served in Congress", Asbury Park Press, February 10, 1991. Accessed May 19, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "He was born in Jersey City, lived in Rutherford and Smoke Rise, before moving to Lakewood three years ago."
External links edit
- Smoke Rise website