Our Story
From lavish structural beginnings to entertaining celebrities and socialites, discover the rich and eclectic history behind The Hillcrest Estate.
Our Location
The Hillcrest Estate is located on 120 acres of land roughly three miles west of the village of York, New York, a small farming community located 30 miles south of Rochester and 50 miles east of Buffalo. The main house, a 32-room mansion with five fireplaces and a ballroom, is informally known as “the mansion in the woods” for its location is set back on the property with surrounding farm fields and wooded areas. The property features include a winding driveway, reflecting pool, ballroom filled with historic antiques, covered veranda, tiered terrace, carriage ride loop, and numerous picturesque locations. The ballroom and grounds are available for a variety of events, including weddings, private parties, gatherings and business meetings.
Our Development
The Hillcrest Estate was developed during the period known as “the Country Place Era” of the 1880s-1930s. This is a period in which well-to-do families who often lived in impressive homes located in urban areas, sought rural locations for seasonal homes to escape unhealthy conditions often found in cities during the warm weather months such as hot weather, disease, germs, pollution, over-crowding, etc. Favored places were at the seashore, in the mountains, on a lake or in a rural area with picturesque surroundings. As railroads were the chief means of transportation during this era, these more-remote locations were quite accessible. The Hillcrest Estate and our next door neighbor, Linwood Gardens, are located right down the road from the former railroad depot at the intersection of Federal Rd. and Craig Rd. named Craig’s Station.
Williams Lansing was the architect for the expansion of The Hillcrest Estate in the late 1890s. He was the son of Bleeker B. and Sophia E. Williams Lansing, one of Buffalo’s oldest families, born October 1, 1860 at the home of his grandfather, E. P. Williams, on Court Street on the future site of Shea's Theater. He designed some of Buffalo’s most important buildings, including Lafayette Presbyterian Church, Central Presbyterian Church, Canisius College and the 74th Regiment Armory.
Charley Morrow was the head stonemason and Rob MacDowell was the head carpenter for the mansion. Charley Morrow’s stonework involved raw, uncut field stones about the size of a human head that were beautifully fitted no more than a finger’s width of cement between them. This type of arrangement is rare in the U.S.
Of international renown, Rochester’s Ellwanger and Barry Nursery Company (est. 1840s) installed extensive landscaping/plantings on the property. They were the largest nursery in the U.S. during the last quarter of the 19th century, headquartered on Mt Hope Ave. and comprising 600 acres at its peak, which includes present-day Highland Park and the Colgate-Rochester Divinity School campus. In addition, A.G Spalding laid down the clay for a tennis court at the property, portions of which still remain.
Our History
The main home was originally occupied by the Boyd family. Robert Boyd (1828-1870) was killed in a runaway accident in Des Moines, Iowa. Eliza McCracken (1837-1912) was Robert’s wife and was born in York, New York and married Robert in 1856. In 1821, John Cameron purchased the land and owned it up until the late 1800s. His wife was Catherine McDougall Cameron and they had three children, Willard M., Neil J. and Charles Raymond Cameron. Willard married Jean Copeland and Neil married Mrs. Elizabeth McDougall, widow of Peter. Both brothers lived in the Linwood-York area their entire lives. Charles received a full scholarship to Cornell University, and graduated in 1898 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. He was a teacher in Zamboanga, in the Philippines, which had been newly acquired by the U.S. as a result of the Spanish-American War. He later served in the military, joined the United States Foreign Service, and was a U.S. Consul.
Around 1897, John Cameron sold the home to Dr. Frank (Francis) Metcalf of Buffalo. Dr. Metcalf was a surgeon in the U.S. Army. Frances Metcalf Wolcott, his sister, was a Buffalo socialite well connected in the Buffalo Theatre District and wife of United States Senator Edward Wolcott of Colorado. She took possession of the property soon after her brother purchased it and by 1899 a large stone addition was added onto the main house along with a servants quarters in the back, stables, a huge dairy barn and creamery and extensive grounds laid out and landscaped.
Frances Metcalf was known for “collecting celebrities” and entertained and hosted many guests, including President Theodore Roosevelt, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Mark Twain, David Hochstein, famous actress Ethel Barrymore and the Belmonts (including millionaire August Belmont and his bride-to-be, the actress Eleanor Robson) of New York. Another guest of Hillcrest was Karl Bitter, an eminent sculptor who did a life-size sculpture of the Louisiana Purchase and presented it as a gift to Mrs. Metcalf Wolcott. The plaster molding, completed in 1903, still remains in the main house ballroom.
In the 1920s, Lyman M. Bass, only son of Mrs. Frances Metcalf Wolcott by her former marriage to Lyman K. Bass, took over the estate. Lyman K. Bass was an American Politician and U.S. Representative from New York. In 1865, Bass ran against Grover Cleveland (22nd and 24th President of the U.S.) and was narrowly elected District Attorney of Erie County. Bass and Cleveland were friends and law partners. In 1874 President Ulysses S. Grant nominated Bass to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. He was confirmed by the Senate but declined the position. After moving to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1877, Bass worked on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway case regarding the right of way through the Arkansas Canon on the route from Denver to Leadville. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court and was won due to Bass’ argument. Lyman K. Bass died in May of 1889.
Lyman M. Bass (former U.S. District Attorney for Western NY) and his wife, Mrs. Bass, formerly Grace Holland of Buffalo, continued to entertain as lavishly as his mother, Mrs. Frances Metcalf Wolcott. After Mrs. Frances Metcalf Wolcott died, the days of lavish entertaining died along with her. Thereafter, the Bass family returned to Hillcrest during the summers. In 1949 Lyman M. Bass sold the estate to Mrs. Florence Haher of Rochester. She provided rooms to paying guests who wished to enjoy the quiet beauty of the country. At that time, there were 27 rooms and 5 fireplaces. Other features on the estate included a swimming pool, tennis court, formal flower gardens, barns, stables and 25 acres of lawn and woodland.
After the death of Mrs. Haher, the estate was sold to Michael Schibetta of Caledonia. He used the home as a residence and also rented it out. In the 1970s, Michael Schibetta sold the home to William Fritz who used the estate for farming and as a residence. William Fritz also collected antiques, almost all of which still reside on the estate. Upon his death in 1984, William bequeathed the estate to his nephew Robert Wilcox.
Robert and Elizabeth Wilcox raised their children Megan, Benjamin and Kate in the main house. For 35 years Robert farmed the land and Elizabeth hosted numerous events in the ballroom and on the grounds.
Our Caretakers
In 2017, Bob and Liz Wilcox's youngest daughter, Kate, and her husband Matt, began restoring and renovating the property, including the mansion, which was on the verge of disrepair.
In 2017 and 2018, the barn house and original caretakers home were repaired. In 2018, Hillcrest Estate as an event venue was officially formed and the carriage house was renovated. In 2019, the mansion's event space was completed and made more accessible. In 2021, the mansion accommodations area offering overnight stays was restored and the carriage house became a short term rental. In 2022, all major renovations including the residence within the mansion were completed and additional property enhancements were added, including bar service, the woodlands ceremony area, parking lot, and numerous landscaping and outdoor area upgrades. Our all-inclusive catering services and overnight getaway services launched in 2023. In 2024, a new concrete pad will be added to the property for our seasonal tent to be placed on for summer weddings.
Kate, Matthew, their son (Theodore) and daughter (Evelyn) currently live in the mansion.
“From start to finish, working with Kate was pleasant and stress free. The setting for our wedding was perfect and beyond what we could have imagined.”
- Jeanine S., Bride