{"nrhp_refnum":"74001261","name":"Mount. Hope-Highland Historic District (Additional Documentation)","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Bounded roughly by the Clarissa St. Bridge, Genesee River, Grove and Mt. Hope Aves., plus","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rochester","county":"Monroe County","state":"NY","lat":43.13589024950005,"lon":-77.6108419942683,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-01-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Landscape Architecture","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A roughly 200-230 acre historic district on the east side of the Genesee River in Rochester, Monroe County, New York, centered on Mount Hope Avenue, the older section of Mt. Hope Cemetery and all of Highland Park. Most buildings date from the mid-19th to early 20th centuries.","why_significant":"The district was shaped by the Ellwanger and Barry nursery, whose owners commissioned notable architects such as A.J. Davis and set a standard of architectural distinction along Mt. Hope Avenue. It contains Gothic-inspired houses, Warner Castle, the nursery office and cemetery buildings, preserved in a landscaped setting. The older cemetery section is also included for its role in the social history of the city's Victorian era.","narrative":"On the east bank of the Genesee River in Rochester, this district of about 200 acres combines Highland Park, the older part of Mt. Hope Cemetery and the houses along Mount Hope Avenue. Much of the land once belonged to the Ellwanger and Barry nursery, among the largest in the world in its day. The two nurserymen shaped the area's character, hiring leading architects. In 1854 A.J. Davis designed their stone nursery office, and Warner Castle, modeled on a Scottish castle, was built the same year. Later additions include the Patrick Barry House of 1857, an 1876 Ellwanger house, four cottages for nursery employees, and Claude Bragdon's shingled houses on Castle Park. The cemetery, laid out in 1838, has a Gothic chapel, gatehouse, gazebo and elaborate mausoleums reflecting Victorian attitudes toward death. Highland Park grew from a 1887 gift of land by Ellwanger and Barry. Together these elements preserve a landscaped nineteenth-century environment with notable architecture.","period_of_significance":"19th and 20th centuries (no specific dates given)","architect_builder":"A.J. Davis; A.J. Warner and J. Foster Warner; Gervase Wheeler; James Cutler; Claude Bragdon; Waasdorp, Northrup and Kaelber","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival and Gothic-derived; also Shingle style and Victorian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition is listed as excellent and altered; the district is occupied and mixes private residences, park, government and other uses.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.109837-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/74001261.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001261/59ed1d3729-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001261/59ed1d3729-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Somebleu","credit_html":"Somebleu, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Sunken_Gardens_at_Warner_Castle_02.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318886","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hope%E2%80%93Highland_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6921282"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/monroe-county/mount-hope-highland-historic-district-additional-documentation-74001261/"}