Junard Homes Development on the Lindner Farm

The "then" shot above looks east on Colonade Rd. toward its curve northward toward Knollwood Dr., and shows a collection of freshly built houses in 1951 that were part of the 147-unit Junard Homes development.  The property was originally a 34-acre farm owned by Henry Lindner, older brother of Paul W. F. Lindner, that extended from Nassau Blvd. to the east to Dogwood Ave. to the west, with Hawthorne St. as the southern border of the farm. Henry was born in Germany in 1866 and at age 4, came to America with his family where they settled in Washington Square (West Hempstead). Henry continued in his father George's footsteps and engaged in farming. In 1947, Henry's wife Anna died and in 1951, like so many other local landowners, the old farmer accepted an offer that was probably too good to pass up and sold his farm to a home developer.

The developer, Brooklyn native Saul Z. Sokolov, president of the Junard Construction Corp., had a proven track record accross Long Island and eventually established himself as one of the more prolific home builders in the region. His first major home project was a pre-war development on Lakeview Ave in Rockville Centre called Knollwood. Saul was a director of the prestigious LI Home Builders Institute. The Sokolovs were also West Hempstead residents for a time before later moving to Kings Point on the North Shore. After WWII, he went on to build many developments in and around West Hempstead: Garden City South (Nassau Blvd & 8th St., in 1947), Mayfair Section of WH (Concord & Hamilton Aves, between Broadway and Mayfair, and later Groton Pl. in 1948), Franklin Square (Franklin Ave & Polk St, in 1948), Garden City South (Nassau Blvd & Princeton Rd., in 1949).

For the Junard Homes development in WH, Saul brought in his son Richard, a recent Syracuse University graduate with a degree in engineering, as a principle of the company. In fact, the name "Junard" comes from a fusion of the names of Saul's daughter and son, June and Richard. (Now the names of the street in that section start to make sense - Junard Blvd., Knollwood Dr., June Ct., Lindner Pl. The meaning behind the name Colonade is still a mystery to me.)

The homes were marketed as 4 1/2 to 7 room capes and ranches with a price range of $14,900 - $20,900. The first of these homes, the ones you see pictured above, were ready for occupancy by September 1, 1951 and the remainder were quickly sold.

Saul Sokolov Died in 1977 and Richard went on to serve in the Kings Point Village government for over 30 years, first as a member of the the planning board commission, then as deputy mayor. He stepped down this year at age 85, having served as a village trustee.