Hillcrest
Why it's listed
Hillcrest is a summer estate on a hillside along Ridge Road in Cazenovia, overlooking Cazenovia Lake. The nominated 8.1 acres hold a three-story frame main house with a conical turret, wraparound porches and Queen Anne gables, plus a carriage house, guest house and ice house built as a group in matching materials. Robert Benson Davis, a baking powder manufacturer from Manlius, bought the property in 1903. The house gained Colonial Revival details on the exterior after 1905. In 1922 his daughter Lucretia had the interior remodeled with gilded coffered ceilings, plaster wainscoting and a large carved mantel in a French Renaissance style. The estate was once about ninety acres, but most of the land was subdivided and developed, so only the house and three outbuildings are included. The listing rests on architecture and on the estate's link to Cazenovia's growth as a lakeside resort for wealthy city residents from the 1870s to about 1929. The designer is not known.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the estate is an outstanding local example of the eclectic summer mansions built by wealthy clients near Cazenovia Lake. Its main house combines Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Renaissance Revival elements, and its interior is described as the only known local example of such opulent Second Renaissance Revival decoration. It also recalls Cazenovia's change from an agricultural village into a resort community, and its surviving outbuildings show how such estates functioned.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 91000869, listed July 15, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Ridge Rd. S of Hoffman, Cazenovia |
|---|---|
| County | Madison County |
| Listed | July 15, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000869 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c1903-1922 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne; Colonial Revival; Second Renaissance Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The main house, carriage house (converted to an apartment) and other buildings are in residential use; the property is described as retaining a high degree of integrity. |
| Acreage | 8.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.93886, -75.85720 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 91000869.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5762763
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.