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Hillforest

Hillforest

Shipping and riverboats were significant elements of the Gaff business enterprises and are reflected in the architecture of the home. Note the third floor belvedere resembling a pilot house. The style is Italian Renaissance, completely symmetrical and characterized by broad overhangs, ornately carved brackets, arched windows and graceful balconies and porches. The mansion has been carefully restored to its original grandeur. Trompe l'oeil wall paintings in the twin parlors and central hall, parquet flooring, elaborate plaster moldings and ceiling medallions, Venetian glass windows - are all representative of its period.

A museum room features changing displays, and the underground wine cellar off the first floor houses implements and utensils including an original pony keg from Gaff's Crescent Brewery.

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