The Army Distaff Foundation, Inc. was founded in 1959 by Mrs. Maxwell Taylor, wife of then Chief of Staff of the Army, and Mrs. Hoy Davis to provide affordable, secure retirement housing and health care services for Army officers’ widows who, at the time, received minimal benefits from the government. With the help of thousands of Army wives around the world, the Foundation was able to open Army Distaff Hall in 1962 following a groundbreaking ceremony by Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower. The name of the community was changed to Knollwood in 1989 when admission was extended to all retired career military officers, male and female, and their female relatives.

Since its inception, Knollwood has expanded to include four levels of care: independent living, assisted living, a skilled nursing facility, and the Special Care Center for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. To this day, the Army Distaff Foundation has not lost sight of its original mission of providing affordable, secure retirement housing and health care services to those who have served and supported our uniformed services, regardless of their ability to pay.