Standing right in front of you, Hillside looks like a grand brick mansion with steep gables, black timber framing, tall windows, and a winding stone path leading up through the manicured lawn-just follow the walkway and look for the massive Tudor Revival house with its distinct turret-like stair tower.
Let me set the mood: imagine the year is 1929. Jazz music drifts from open windows, the air is crisp, and the great Julian Price and his wife Ethel are about to host another legendary soirée here at Hillside, their brand-new mansion. Architect Charles C. Hartmann spared no drama or storybook grandeur with this Tudor Revival dream-four stories, 31 rooms, and a stretch of brick and half-timber stretching a whopping 180 feet long. Picture the glow of hundreds of lights shining through those windowpanes.
Hillside wasn’t just fancy on the outside: it came with over 7,000 square feet inside and a quirky board-and-batten gardener’s cottage nestled in the greenery nearby. This place had secrets in every nook, from hidden passageways whispered about by party guests to garden walks where high society might have plotted Greensboro’s next big thing. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, a testament to its starring role in the story of Fisher Park.
Fast forward to the 1970s. Sandra Cowart, a sharp-witted interior designer, fell in love with Hillside’s magic and made it her home. She fought hard when asked to sell the place for demolition in 1979, saying, “I’d rather wrestle a garden hose than watch my house disappear!” When life threw curveballs, Sandra rented out rooms and gave tours, turning the mansion into a gathering spot for artist-types and, sometimes, a bit of a mystery. Over the years, the mansion filled up-furniture stacked on furniture, treasures in every corner-until it famously appeared on the TV show “Hoarders.” Sandra’s story is bittersweet: she stayed here for forty years, and after saying goodbye to Hillside, she moved into an Airstream, grateful for her memories and for making a tidy $14,000 from selling her prized collections.
After Sandra, the Fuko-Rizzo family stepped in, braving a real fixer-upper situation! Alongside local preservationists, designers, and the university, they gave Hillside a total glow-up. It became a designer’s playground for one sparkling month in 2018, a showcase of modern style wrapped up in old-world elegance. But even mansion life isn’t always glamorous: there were disputes over who really owned which chairs, who got paid for what, and when parties were officially allowed to go past 10 PM!
Zoning drama, neighbors calling “foul,” and city officials scratching their heads-Hillside has seen more courtroom drama and city paperwork than most historic houses ever dream of. Today, it stands as majestic (and occasionally controversial!) as ever, both a treasure of Greensboro history and an occasional topic of neighborhood debate. That’s Hillside for you: part fairy tale, part reality show, and always unforgettable.
