The History Center in Tompkins County
Our tour begins at The History Center in Tompkins County, located in the Gateway Center, a 1925 warehouse later converted into offices. The History Center displays a permanent collection, presents unique exhibits, houses archives, and is a space for community members and students to research local history. The Center also has an active interest in preserving and developing local historic resources for education and enjoyment and is a partner with Historic Ithaca in the Ithaca Heritage project.
The Wanzer Block
Completed in 1905, the Wanzer Block is a keystone in the history of Ithaca's downtown development. The two sides of the block were built earlier (1865 for the Aurora Street side, and 1888 for the State Street side) than the corner parcel joining them together. For much of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the ground floor held Wanzer & Howell Grocers, Ithaca's primary grocery store.Ithaca architect Arthur N. Gibb designed the middle building and made a few key changes to the other buildings to achieve some architectural unity. He added a fourth floor to the Aurora building and extended the cornice line of the State Street building across the top of the other two.
The William Henry Miller Inn
Famed local architect William H. Miller, who has two Ithaca tours devoted to his work, designed this home for Calvin D. Stowell in 1880, and it was purchased in 1914 by Robert C. Osborn. Descendents of the Osborns owned the home until 1996, and it was bought in 1998 by Lynette Scofield and her then-husband. The two reopened the house in 1999 as the William Henry Miller Inn, named in honor of its architect, who created a Queen Anne-style home featuring a corner tower, half-timbering, and stained glass windows.To hear more about this building from architectural history consultant and City of Ithaca Historian Mary Tomlan, click on the "Play Audio" link above!
Unitarian Church of Ithaca
The Church of Christian Unity was founded by Ezra Cornell and other community members in 1865; they worshipped for two decades inside a wood-frame building that had been erected on East Buffalo Street in 1872-73. That building was destroyed by a fire, and construction began in 1893 for a new First Unitarian Church designed by William H. Miller, who was also the architect of the earlier building. This Romanesque Revival church is known for its prominent spire, added at the insistence of Charles White, a churchgoer who wanted the church to attract the attention of commuting Cornell students.For Mary Tomlan's take on the Unitarian Church, click on the "Play Audio" link above.If you would like to go inside the church, check with the office first. It is open on weekdays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, except during the summers, when hours are sporadic.
St Paul's United Methodist Church
The first church on this site was built in 1819 and was replaced by another structure in 1866. Forty years later, the congregation selected plans by Cincinnati architects Brown & Davis for a Romanesque Revival structure. Dedicated in 1909, the new church features rough stone walls, an imposing corner entrance, a domed auditorium, and intricate stained-glass windows. It originally boasted a central tower, which was removed in two stages during the 1920s. The name of St. Paul's dates from 1961, when the congregation of this First Methodist Church and the State Street Methodist Church merged.To hear more about St. Paul's history from Mary Tomlan, click "Play Audio" above. To hear the perspective of Christine O'Malley, Historic Ithaca's Preservation Services Coordinator, click here!If you are interested in seeing the interior, St Paul's keeps church office hours from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Thursday. During the summer, the office closes at 1:00 PM. The weekday entrance is through the doors along Aurora Street.
Temple Beth-El
A building unlike any other downtown edifice, Temple Beth-El was designed by Cornell-educated Buffalo architect Eli Goldstein and erected in 1928-29. Its basic form is that of a cube, topped by an octagon and finished with a twelve-sided clerestory representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The building also features stained-glass windows and glazed tile panels. The classroom wing was added in 1967, designed by local firm Levatich, Hoffman & Miller.
The Ithaca Post Office Building
This Classical Revival/French Baroque post office was built in 1909. It is one of a number of post offices built during this period of growth for the postal service, all ex officio supervised by James Knox Taylor, the Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department. In 2000, the building was retrofitted to serve as the Town of Ithaca's Town Hall.
The Boardman House
Designed by Ithaca architect A.B. Dale, this house was built for George McChain in 1866 and is known for its second owner, Judge Douglass Boardman, the first dean of the Cornell University Law School. After the deaths of Boardman in 1891 and his wife in 1910, the Ithaca Conservatory of Music purchased the house, which served as the heart of what became the downtown campus of the conservatory and its succesor, Ithaca College. The college moved to South Hill in the 1960s but retained the Boardman House until it was bought by Tompkins County in 1972. Three years later, the Board of Representatives voted to demolish it, but community protests, led by Historic Ithaca, were able to save the building. The house displays the broad eaves and cupola characteristic of the Italianate style, with elaborate cast-iron window caps and an elegant entry porch. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.For more information about the Boardman House, visit its page on the Historic Ithaca website and on Ithaca Builds. You can also hear more about the Boardman House from Christine O'Malley by clicking "Play Audio" above.
Old County Courthouse
The oldest Gothic Revival courthouse in the state, this building was built in 1854 and served as the county’s second courthouse. Designed by John F. Maurice, a Union Springs architect, it replaced a small, cheap wooden Greek Revival building that had been hastily built in 1818 to ensure that Ithaca would become the county seat. Simeon DeWitt (arguably, the main non-Native founder of Ithaca), who laid out the early village of Ithaca, gave the land to the county. When the new courthouse was built in 1932, the county exchanged the building for another lot. Public outcry forced the county to buy it back in 1934, however, and the building has housed county offices since then. The second-floor courtroom is especially handsome. The room originally featured an open timber (cathedral) roof, but an attic and the present ceiling were added during the Victorian period because of the high heating costs. The large brackets are part of the original roof trusses. The building was completely renovated in 1975-76 as a Bicentennial project.The Tompkins County Planning Department occupies the ground-level floor, and the second-level houses the newly renovated county Legislature Chambers. The chambers were relocated from the County Courthouse Building next door, which had housed the Legislature for about 80 years, until mid-June 2013. The 2012 to mid-2013 renovations added new interior wood trim, four private offices, fresh paint, lighting, audiovisual equipment, seating, legislature desks and chairs, the bench, gallery seating, and new flooring. HOLT Architects (the renovation designer) has some nice images here.The project won one of Historic Ithaca's annual preservation awards.Click "Play Audio" to hear more from Christine O'Malley.
Beebe-Halsey House
This house is one of the oldest standing buildings in Ithaca and a prime example of the Federal style. It was built in 1820 by banker Jeremiah Beebe, who sold it to William Halsey in 1850, who then added a rear service wing. The narrow, three-bay facade hides the depth and true size of the building, which extends far back. The building was bought in 2012 by Tom Seany and Nancy Medsker and opened as a bed & breakfast. In summer 2016 the bed and breakfast rooms were converted into apartment homes.
Clinton House
One of the preeminent landmarks of downtown Ithaca, the Clinton House (named for New York governor DeWitt Clinton) was built from 1828-29 by local architect Ira Tillotson. It was originally a hotel, and also held offices. The upper floor were redesigned by prominent local architect William H. Miller in the 1870s. The building is primarily in the Greek Revival style. Today, it houses the New Roots Charter School, offices, and apartments.The Clinton House is one of local preservation group Historic Ithaca's greatest success stories. The organization has done major rehabilitation and retrofitting work on the building several times since the early 1970s. As part of its efforts, Historic Ithaca worked to ensure that the Clinton House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. For more on the Clinton House, visit its page on Historic Ithaca's site, or listen to Christine O'Malley explain the many lives this landmark building has known by clicking on the "Play Audio" link.
State Theatre of Ithaca
Designed by Henry N. Hinckley in 1915 as the Bovard Brothers' Security Garage, the building was bought by Cornell Theatres, Inc. and redesigned by Victor A. Rigaumont in 1928 as a theatre. It is the last remaining cinema and vaudeville palace of Ithaca to still be in use as a theatre. The lavish interior features a mix of Moorish, Gothic, and Renaissance styles under a ceiling with painted lights resembling bright stars. The theatre closed in 1980 and remained unused for seventeen years. Plans for demolition were made, but Historic Ithaca, with the help of strong community support, was able to buy, renovate, and revive the theatre. In 2009, the State Theatre of Ithaca took ownership and has since completed cosmetic and structural renovations.Visit the State Theater's History page here, and if you can, try to see a show!
