Commons Rebuild

Commons Rebuild Project Description

May 14, 2013 // by James Douglas

The Commons is being rebuilt from the ground up, completely overhauling the original 1974 design. The Commons Rebuild will replace the existing water & gas mains, sanitary lines, storm drainage, telecom & electric service, and the existing surface design with an emphasis on open space (good-bye, pavilions.), and also serve as a hub for TCAT busses.
The Commons rebuild is being funded with $4.9m from the City of Ithaca, $3.5m from a Federal Transportation Administration State of Good Repair grant, $1.8 from the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council, $600,000 from the NYS Department of Transportation, and $500,000 from the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (the Commercial Business District’s “BID”, or Business Improvement District, funded through an additional tax levy on parcels in the CBD).
Phase one of the Commons Rebuild, including deconstruction of the current surface and replacement of the underground utilities is scheduled to wrap up before winter hits in December 2013. Phase two, the construction of new surface elements and amenities, is expected to last for five months, with an expected start date of March 1, 2014, ending in July.

Be sure to check out the project site for even more updates.

Commons Rebuild Site Photos

June 13, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

The work zone is just about all dirt now, with the exception of Bank Alley, where the planters and walk paths are getting jacked out and hauled away. If you’re inside one of the buildings next door, you can feel the vibrations from the demolition work, which must be annoying, but it’s cool to watch it all happen.

Commons Rebuild Site Photos

May 28, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Various photos taken from the past couple weeks- the iconic center railway crossing is currently being dug up, and some deeper digging is taking place on the western end. It must be quite a challenge to avoid all the existing pipework- see the full plans from Sasaki (one of the earlier posts on this project) for a sheet showing a map of the existing piping.

Commons Then and Now

May 20, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

The Commons (as we have known) was built in 1974. Scores of cities in the US around that time were converting sections of their downtowns to pedestrian malls, but many have since abandoned the pedestrian mall concept in favor of thoroughfares with street parking. What’s made the Commons Rebuild so interesting is the fact that after all these years, we’re just now getting a glimpse of (approximately) what it looked like almost a hundred years ago.

Here’s a shot I took today, in front of what is now the Colonial Building, and a shot from 1901 at roughly the same spot.

Most of the buildings in this shot lie in the Ithaca Downtown Historic District (on the National Register of Historic Districts), so it’s been nice seeing all the facades that have kept with age, and without the trees in the way, it’s like walking back in time.

Demolition is moving along, and if you haven’t had a chance yet, I recommend swinging by and checking out the mural project organized by the Downtown Ithaca Alliance. Each section of barricade will contain murals by local artists.

And here’s a rendering from Sasaki Associates (the re-design consultants) showing what the Commons will look like once completed (and the new trees have filled-in). I imagine it’s actually going to take some re-adjusting back once the project is complete, and the sight lines are partially blocked again, but for now, I’ll enjoy it.