Hildreth Hill

History and General Neighborhood Information

We've changed our name! The Upper West neighborhood is now Hildreth Hill. Here is some history on why we selected this name: “Isaac Hildreth, was the first man that started a nursery in Geneva, was also the first man that started peach orchards and vineyards on Seneca lake and was the pioneer that led the way in taking fruit trees to California in 1850. George FREER was his partner. He died May 18, 1865.” - History of Ontario Co, NY, Conover & Aldrich, pub 1893, pg 237.

As Geneva grew AS an industrial and commercial center, it was important to build close-in quality housing for the growing middle class of the early 1900’s. Because of their location above Castle Creek and straight west of downtown, nursery farms were converted to housing along High and Lyceum streets. Cross streets were added to allow for more houses and the Upper West neighborhood began to take shape all the way out to the area now known as McDonough Park.

When built around 1900, these houses had modern floor plans, usually with three bedrooms and a full bathroom and even with the potential to convert attic space if the family grew larger. The construction standards were high and included well-built porches overlooking small front yards. Because there were few automobiles, proper driveways and garages weren’t included and for most people the widths of the street were unimportant. What made The Upper West important is that it was an attractive, well built neighborhood of single-family houses with a desirable location with parks and access to downtown.