Upenough
Why it's listed
Upenough is a five-acre summer estate on a rise above Rippleton Road, south of Cazenovia in Madison County, New York. Its two-story wood-frame house, built about 1910, combines Dutch Colonial Revival and Craftsman features, including a broad gambrel roof, wrap-around porch, shingled upper story and a large living room with exposed beams. A garage, guest cottage and tool shed complete the estate. It was built for Ophelia King by her nephew Chester King, a Syracuse lawyer, and is attributed to Syracuse architect Melvin King, though that remains unverified. Clarence Hancock, later a congressman, bought it in 1921 and added a porch, a rear addition and the outbuildings. The property is valued as the first of three Syracuse-commissioned estates, with Old Trees and Longshore, that drew on Adirondack rusticity. It keeps its original setting and the relationship between main and service buildings, making it a well-preserved example of an early twentieth century summer estate.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents Upenough as an excellent late example of the summer estates built near Cazenovia Lake. Its eclectic Craftsman and Dutch Colonial Revival house reflects Adirondack-lodge rusticity and was the first estate in the area built for a Syracuse client. It also retains its original setting and the relationship between the house and its service buildings, which is described as the highest integrity among the area's summer estates.
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 91000871, listed July 15, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Rippleton St., Cazenovia |
|---|---|
| County | Madison County |
| Listed | July 15, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000871 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1910-c1930 |
| Architect / builder | Attributed to Melvin King |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival (Dutch Colonial Revival, with Craftsman and Shingle Style elements) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; the property has remained in the Hancock family since 1921. |
| Acreage | 4.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.90342, -75.87569 (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 91000871.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7898260
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.