Robert F. Kniesche was a Baltimore based photographer who once worked for the Baltimore Sun. Kniesche took aerial photographs of the Belair at Bowie development during the early 1960s, and Bowie Living acquired two of those photographs from the family of Don Westcott. Westcott was a spokesperson for Levitt & Sons, the developer of Belair at Bowie.
The picture below was probably taken in the second half of 1963. Somerset Elementary School, Kenilworth Elementary School and Belair Junior High School were already built, but Buckingham Elementary School and Foxhill Elementary School were not. The Somerset, Buckingham, and Kenilworth neighborhoods had been developed, and the Tulip Grove neighborhood was under construction. Only a portion of the Foxhill neighborhood appears in the photo, and it's clear that the Heather Hills and Meadowbrook neighborhoods had not yet been constructed.
The two Kniesche photos that Bowie Living acquired from the Westcott family have some damage.
Below are two images of one of the Kniesche Belair at Bowie photographs. One images includes labels for some well known landmarks. Click on the images for a better view. Consider downloading the images to zoom in.
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| Robert F. Kniesche areial photo of Belair at Bowie circa 1963 |
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| Robert F. Kniesche areial photo of Belair at Bowie circa 1963 - with labels |
