{"nrhp_refnum":"02001656","name":"Wildcliff","other_names":["Lawton, Cyrus, House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"42 Wildcliff Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Rochelle","county":"Westchester County","state":"NY","lat":40.90652540800005,"lon":-73.76958829799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-12-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Wildcliff is a Gothic Revival stone villa at 42 Wildcliff Road on Davenport's Neck in New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York, built c. 1852 to a design by Alexander Jackson Davis. It was enlarged c. 1865 and c. 1919.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that Wildcliff is an excellent example of the picturesque villa designs of Alexander Jackson Davis, a leading American architect of the nineteenth century. It shows typical Davis features such as asymmetrical massing, steep bargeboarded gables, thick stone walls, chimneys and projecting bays, and it follows the villa plan recommended by Andrew Jackson Downing. The exterior retains a high degree of integrity.","narrative":"Wildcliff is a stone villa on Davenport's Neck in New Rochelle, set on a 1.23-acre parcel about forty feet above Echo Bay and Long Island Sound. Built around 1852 from designs by architect Alexander Jackson Davis, it was enlarged in the mid-1860s, probably also by Davis, and again around 1919, when a half-timbered gable, porte-cochère and other features were added. The rubblestone walls use varied Westchester stones, and steep gables with scalloped wooden bargeboards give the house its picturesque profile. Its original plan of library, parlor, dining room and lower kitchen wing follows the arrangement recommended by Andrew Jackson Downing for a villa of moderate size. The exterior keeps a high degree of integrity, though much interior detail has been lost. The house is recognized as a fine example of Davis's Gothic Revival country houses and belongs to a group of modest, asymmetrical stone villas he designed in Westchester County and nearby. Part of it now serves as a theater.","period_of_significance":"c. 1852-c. 1919","architect_builder":"Davis, Alexander Jackson","architectural_style":"Mid 19th Century: Gothic Revival; Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Tudor Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Historically a single dwelling; the current function is listed as recreation and culture (theater). The property is publicly owned (local) and includes a modern one-story addition that does not contribute.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.095972-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/02001656.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001656/2274f6451d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001656/2274f6451d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"ALT55-VictorM","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wildcliff,_42_,Wildcliff_Rd.,_New_Rochelle,_Westchester_County,_New_York.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">ALT55-VictorM</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wildcliff,_42_,Wildcliff_Rd.,_New_Rochelle,_Westchester_County,_New_York.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75323304","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildcliff","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8001034"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/westchester-county/wildcliff-02001656/"}