Sometimes your plans in life are not the same as God's. Sometimes Plan B makes everything work out to be happily ever after. This historic home is for community outreach. Premier venue for philanthropic, civic and social venues. Home of Robert Benson Davis, Founder of Davis Baking Powder Co. Please view our photos and see each room, the grounds, the history and our events. Our Story
We quite often
get asked how we came to purchase the Hillcrest Estate. I have created a book that shows what our journey was to Ridge Road. Here is the reader's digest version of our life. And so it begins...... As new high school graduates I was out dancing one night with friends at a place called the Gin Mill. It has two sides. One for the disco crowd and one for the Rock n Roll. I had been spying this blonde boy over on rock side and went over to further "investigate". An obnoxious drunken guy wouldn't leave me alone in my quest to follow that blonde boy, when out of no where he came, grabbed my hand and started dancing with me. (only to find out later he doesn't like to dance) He rescued me and has been saving me ever since. A few years later, with two babies and only about two nickels to rub together, I became a stay at home mom and Brian quit his low paying job to start our own business, Osborne Racing Engines. To say there were bumps in the road is an understatement. There were pot holes so big it could have swallowed a car. A few years later we started another one, Central New York Crankshaft, Inc. along with a partner. Biggest mistake of our lives. Not the business but the partner although we stayed in business for quite some time. We had put everything we had on the line and were determined to not let it fail. After a year long legal battle we were able to separate from the partner but this meant starting over again. So, once again we put everything we had into starting over and ran with it. When you are determined and driven you just do it. And fear is a great motivator. In September of 2008, the Hillcrest Estate came on the market and Brian saw it in the paper. At that time we were in no position to purchase this house but that didn't stop the him from driving out and looking at it pretty much 2-3 times a week after work. I was at a point in my life where I wanted to do something else just for me. We muddled around with the idea of my mom and I starting a bed and breakfast together but we had to get in a position to actually pursue this idea. The house stayed on the market for another two years as we watched from a distance. We started our search and checked out many areas and many homes, none of which really felt right. This was 2010. That year I had lost 3 people within a 6 months span and had really decided I wanted to leave the shop and start my own venture. We started negotiations with John and Judy Whittle. Unfortunately during that time, I became extremely sick and had to pull back from the deal until I could become healthy again. In the Spring of 2011 we began negotiations again. We had to send letters our to all the neighbors in our area notifying them of our idea of a B&B (per the town rules). This sparked one of the neighbors that fueled a fire like I've never seen before. I want to make it very clear because we get asked if the town was the one who stopped the B&B process. That answer is NO. The town approved every step of the way, every road block that was put in front of us by the neighbor. The town however has since changed it's stance on B&B's in this area. We were unaware that there was a protective covenant and restrictive deed on the 13 properties of the Old Hillcrest Estate. We had to get approval from all 13 parties however there was a minority rule and there was that one. Every time there was a new request, we would have to wait another month to present our case. Our house was for sale also and we had lost one buyer due to this mess. At the last meeting, when the town was going to approve us for the B&B, The Whittle's and ourselves got served with a lawsuit to stop the process. Yes, by the one neighbor. I was still on the recovery road from being ill so this stress was not helping. We learned that it wasn't that they didn't want the B&B, but that they actually wanted the house and had made an offer before us and it was refused. What this lawsuit did, however, was form an alliance with us and the Whittle's. We banded together and created a plan. We fought the suit as best as we could but we were not guaranteed a win if we went to court. We could have pursued it because there were other people in this deed restriction running business' but we didn't want to ruin their lives just because we were going to this ourselves. So on the 11th hour of our contract being up to purchase this house, we told the neighbors it was null and void. Little did they know that our plan was already in place. New buyers for our house were aware of what was going on so we kept the sale of our house quiet. We had already negotiated a new contract to purchase the property anyways. We also get asked and it irritates me to no end, if we acquired this house with "old money" The answer to that is NO. It was earned with hard working money and our mantra to never give up on what you want. This lawsuit became a blessing in disguise because we came up with a plan to share this house with the town and everyone in a different way than expected. My mom now lives in the gate house. The Carriage House is a rental and we hold charity events and have been able to meet so many wonderful people. We sold our business and after 6 years, we bought it back. Yes, our lives are that crazy. So if your Plan A doesn't work out like you expected it to. Step out of the way and put it in God's hands. Plan B, C, D and even E may always be better. This is our story...with so much more in between and so much more to come...It's truly been quite the journey.
