In my quest to know all things Knickerbocker Village (ok, I admit it's getting far too obsessive) I discovered this most amazing bit of history. A search of the nytimes archives (using Knickerbocker Village as a search query) lead me to an mid 1939 article (below) about the Epstein (Philip and Julius) Twins. They were Hollywood screenwriters who were born in the kv neighborhood. They went to PS 147, which was on Henry and Scammel Streets.(They may have even attended PS 177 for a while, since they lived on the exact same block as the school) Further investigation led me to find out that they co-wrote the screenplay to Casablanca! Philip's grandson is Theo Epstein, the gm of the Sox! Their exact address in 1910 was 78 Market Street (smack in the middle of where KV was to be built). In 1920 they lived at 245 East Broadway, where the Seward Park Houses were to be built. 
From Wikipedia:
Philip G. Epstein (August 22, 1909 – February 7, 1952) was an American screenwriter most known for his adaptation in partnership with his twin brother, Julius, and others of the unproduced play Everybody Comes to Rick's that became the screenplay for the Academy Award-winning film Casablanca (1942). Epstein was born in New York City and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His father was a livery stable owner in the days when horses were still common on the streets of the city. He attended Pennsylvania State College (now Penn State University), earning his degree in 1931. Jack Warner, head of Warner Brothers, had a love-hate relationship with the writing duo of the Epstein brothers. He could not argue with their commercial success, but he deplored their pranks, their work habits and the hours they kept. He consistently butted heads with the two. In 1952, Warner gave the brothers' names to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). They never testified before the committee, but on a HUAC questionnaire, when asked if they ever were members of a "subversive organization," they wrote-in, "Yes. Warner Brothers." Epstein died of cancer in Hollywood, California in 1952 at the age of 42. His son Leslie Epstein directs the creative writing program at Boston University and is an accomplished novelist. His grandson Theo Epstein is the general manager of the Boston Red Sox. His granddaughter Anya Epstein is a screenwriter.
Julius continued on as a solo screenwriter after his brother's death. In college he was an accomplished boxer.
Their amazing body of work (Julius after 1952)
1. Reuben, Reuben (1983)
2. "House Calls" (1979) TV Series (unknown episodes)
3. The Pirate (1978) (TV)
... aka Harold Robbins' The Pirate (USA: complete title)
4. House Calls (1978) (story)
5. Cross of Iron (1977) (as Julius Epstein)
... aka Steiner - Das Eiserne Kreuz (West Germany)
6. Jacqueline Susann's Once Is Not Enough (1975)
... aka Once Is Not Enough
7. Pete 'n' Tillie (1972)
8. Any Wednesday (1966) (play)
... aka Bachelor Girl Apartment (UK)
9. Return from the Ashes (1965)
10. Send Me No Flowers (1964) (screenplay) (as Julius Epstein)
11. Light in the Piazza (1962) (screenplay)
12. Fanny (1961)
13. Tall Story (1960)
14. Take a Giant Step (1959)
15. The Reluctant Debutante (1958)
16. The Brothers Karamazov (1958) (adaptation)
... aka The Murderer Dmitri Karamazov
17. Kiss Them for Me (1957)
18. The Tender Trap (1955) (as Julius Epstein)
19. "Casablanca" (1955) TV Series (unknown episodes)
20. "Lux Video Theatre" (3 episodes, 1955)
... aka Summer Video Theatre (USA: summer title)
- The Bride Came C.O.D. (1955) TV Episode (original screenplay)
- Forever Female (1955) TV Episode (original screenplay)
- Casablanca (1955) TV Episode (original screenplay)
21. Young at Heart (1954)
22. The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954) (screenplay)
23. Forever Female (1953)
24. Take Care of My Little Girl (1951)
25. My Foolish Heart (1949)
26. Chicken Every Sunday (1949) (play)
27. Romance on the High Seas (1948) (screenplay)
... aka It's Magic (UK)
28. One More Tomorrow (1946) (additional dialogue)
29. War Comes to America (1945)
... aka Why We Fight, 7 (USA: series title)
30. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) (screenplay)
... aka Frank Capra's 'Arsenic and Old Lace' (USA: complete title)
31. Mr. Skeffington (1944) (screenplay)
32. The Battle of China (1944)
... aka The Battle of China: Assault on the Great Wall (USA: video box title)
... aka Why We Fight, 6 (USA: series title)
33. The Battle of Russia (1943)
... aka The Battle of Russia: The Nazi March Frozen (USA: video box title)
... aka Why We Fight, 5 (USA: series title)
34. Prelude to War (1943)
... aka Why We Fight, 1 (USA: series title)
35. The Nazis Strike (1943)
... aka The Nazi Strike: Blitzkrieg! (USA: video title)
... aka Why We Fight, 2 (USA: series title)
36. Divide and Conquer (1943) (uncredited)
... aka Why We Fight, 3 (USA: series title)
37. The Battle of Britain (1943)
... aka Why We Fight, 4 (USA: series title)
38. Casablanca (1942) (screenplay) (as Julius J.)
39. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) (uncredited)
40. The Male Animal (1942)
41. The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) (screenplay)
42. The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941) (screenplay)
43. The Strawberry Blonde (1941)
44. Honeymoon for Three (1941) (additional dialogue)
45. No Time for Comedy (1940)
... aka Guy with a Grin
46. Saturday's Children (1940) (screenplay) (as Julius J.)
47. Four Wives (1939) (screenplay)
48. Daughters Courageous (1939)
... aka A Family Affair
... aka American Family
... aka Family Reunion
49. Secrets of an Actress (1938) (original screenplay)
50. Four Daughters (1938)
51. Fools for Scandal (1938) (contributing writer) (uncredited)
52. Confession (1937) (English adaptation)
53. The King and the Chorus Girl (1937) (dialogue) (uncredited)
... aka Romance Is Sacred (UK)
54. Sons o' Guns (1936)
55. Stars Over Broadway (1935) (screenplay)
56. I Live for Love (1935) (story and screenplay)
... aka I Live for You
57. The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935) (uncredited)
58. Little Big Shot (1935) (screenplay)
59. Broadway Gondolier (1935) (contributor to screenplay construction) (uncredited)
60. In Caliente (1935) (screenplay) (as Julius Epstein)
... aka Viva Senorita (USA: poster title)
61. Living on Velvet (1935) (screenplay) (as Julius Epstein) (story) (as Julius Epstein)
62. Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934) (uncredited)
Postscript, An email from Howie:
Also, J.Epstein was the screenwiter for Tall Story (1960), Jane Fonda's debut film, along with Anthony Perkins and Ray Walston......Allan and I used to watch it whenever it was on .. a real period comedy ..Ray Walson the college professor refuses to allow Anthony Perkins to play in the big basketball game against the Russians because he was failing, some body asks him if he would also fail Abraham Lincoln? .."if he handed in a bad paper I would!"....always loved that, I know it loses some in the translation here but get a kick out of knowing it was written by a LES guy.
Howie
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