In Search of Hess’ Triangle (2014)
chriswhong.com
chriswhong.com
I think this might be a derivation of the Dutch word "voorhuis" (https://translate.google.com/#auto/en/voorhuis). The transliteration is "front house" (as in front office, portal, hall) and usually denotes a street level entrance to a larger complex. Given that New York had a lot of immigration from the Netherlands (heck, it was called New Amsterdam for a while) I think this might make sense.
edit: corrected typo
could one now confidently refer to it as a Hessoid?