Styles

Visitors are often struck by the wide variety of housing styles, sizes, and prices within most neighborhoods in Ithaca and Tompkins County. There are a few planned developments in each town, but more often houses ranging from Greek Revival to Victorian to Craftsman to modern co-exist happily.

There are no 18th-century houses that I know of in Ithaca or Tompkins County, probably none older than 1810. The oldest houses here are Federal and Greek Revival (1820-1855), which can be found scattered around the county with particular concentrations in old hamlets like Forest Home, Ludlowville, Jacksonville, and Etna. Most early houses sit quite close to the road and many of these roads are by now quite busy. If you dream of a quiet, secluded Greek Revival, you may have to move the house!

Victorians (as we usually think of them) tend to cluster in densely populated areas. The villages of Trumansburg, Groton, Dryden, and the City of Ithaca all have lots of Victorian houses. Less ornate Victorian farmhouses can be found all over the county, as can simple workmen’s homes of the same period.

Craftsmen, Colonial Revival, and Tudor styles (ca. 1900-1940) prevail in Cayuga Heights, Cornell Heights, Belle Sherman, Cascadilla Park, parts of South Hill, and Renwick, although they can be found in all the towns and villages. Craftsman houses are prized for their simplicity and abundance of oak or chestnut woodwork. Colonial Revivals and Tudors are beloved for their bright interiors and interesting facades.

Post-World War II housing is dominated by modern styles such as ranches, bi-levels, and contemporaries. Houses built in the 1950s still tend to feature hardwood floors, but wall-to-wall carpeting is more usual until the late 1980s. As housing spread out from the city, villages, and hamlets, lot sizes increased.

The 1980s and 1990s saw a revival and reworking of older two-story styles, but with up-to-date materials. Raw developments in various towns have quickly matured into friendly neighborhoods.

Building Basics

Most houses in the Ithaca area are of frame construction, even if they look like brick or masonry from the outside.  Historically, his reflects the availability of building materials--we've got lots of wood, but the wrong kind of clay for bricks.   Almost all houses have basements; others have crawl spaces or sit on slabs. Very old houses tend to have stone foundations, with or without mortar. Twentieth-century foundations may be poured concrete or concrete block, and some are made of ceramic block. Finished or partially-finished basements are common in post-World War II houses. Roofs are almost always asphalt or fiberglass shingle, although occasionally we see  rubberized roofs, and metal is increasingly popular. Some early-twentieth century homes in Ithaca and Cayuga Heights have their original slate or tile roofs, which are very handsome.

Most residential properties include a garage but a surprising number do not. Garage types can range from adapted carriage barns and agricultural buildings through tiny detached structures to modern attached garages with openers and attic storage. Three-bay garages are rare.