Hillcrest, also known as Cedar Hall, is a historic two-story house at 706 Beech Street in

Cochran, Georgia Cochran is a city in Bleckley County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 5,026. The city is the county seat of Bleckley County. Cochran is named for Judge Arthur E. Cochran and was incorporated on March ...

. Hillcrest is an early-20th century home of

Classical Revival architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

History and preservation

Hillcrest was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1983. It was deemed significant architecturally as a "fine example of a turn-of-the-century Neoclassical style house in Cochran." Neoclassical features include its monumental portico, large rooms, and details in its interior, such as paneled

wainscoting Panelling (or paneling in the U.S.) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity to make roo ...

, built-ins, and

Ionic column The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...

s and urns in stairways and room dividers. It was also deemed of local historical importance for its association with two prominent families, those of John Joseph Taylor (1855–1917) and of John Augustus Walker. Taylor was president of the Cochran Banking Company, the builder of Cochran's opera house, and owner of a general store and of a cotton mill and warehouse. Taylor built "Hillcrest" next door to his own home, as a wedding present for the 1910 marriage of his daughter Alice with John Augustus Walker. Walker was Cochran's postmaster during 1933–1941 and also worked for the bank. The house remained in the family until 1965. Dr. Virlon Griner, pastor of Cochran's First Baptist Church, began its restoration during his ownership 1970–1981. with

References

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History and preservation

References

See also