House History:
2756 Edgewood Road, built by Warren C. and Virginia Armstrong

When Warren C. and Virginia B. Armstrong purchased a parcel of land in 1936, it was not far from Warren’s childhood home on Roxbury Road. In 1915 his was just the third family to move into a house in the fledgling Upper Arlington community. However, the Armstrongs are considered the very first residents of Upper Arlington, having lived on the Gun Club’s second floor at the corner of Fifth and Arlington avenues during their home’s construction.

It was not the only “firsts” for this family. Warren C. attended Upper Arlington’s initial school in the basement of developer King Thompson’s home in 1917 with UA’s first teacher, Mary Boyer. His father, Warren A. Armstrong, served on Upper Arlington’s inaugural village council in 1918.

The land at 2756 edgewood road

1933 map excerpt of Perry Township. While numerous street names may be familiar with those of today, everything shown here was not part of Upper Arlington at the time. In 1933, UA’s northern boundary was Northam Road and just north of Canterbury Road. Edgewood Road is underscored in pink. (Courtesy of UA Archives)

According to Warren C.’s daughter, Ann Armstrong Knodt, her father was enamored with the rural landscape north of Upper Arlington during his formative years. In 1936, when Warren C. was looking to build a family home with his wife, Virginia, Upper Arlington’s northern boundary extended only past today’s Canterbury Road. Few developments existed in this neighboring South Perry Township region alongside open fields. They ultimately chose an available property located northeast of today’s Fishinger Road and Riverside Drive intersection.

The house at 2756 edgewood road

Warren C. and Virginia’s home was built in 1936 before Ann and her sister Susan were born. According to Ann, the original address of the home was 3960 Riverside Drive.

1946 painting of 2756 Edgewood Road. The artist was a family friend, and the painting hung in the home for several decades.

Additional Information

  • Edgewood Road and the surrounding area was annexed into Upper Arlington in 1954, just in time for Ann to attend high school in Upper Arlington. Until that time, she and Susan had been students at South Perry School near Fishinger and Reed roads.

  • Warren C. Armstrong served as mayor of Upper Arlington from 1958 to 1964.

  • Ann and her husband, Dietmar Knodt, took possession of this property after Ann’s mother passed away in 1986. They remodeled the home in 1988, and it no longer resembles the painting at this time.

(Photo images donated to the UA Historical Society courtesy of Ann Armstrong Knodt, daughter of Warren C. and Virginia Armstrong.)