Ithaca Builds

Mapping, photos and information for Ithaca construction and development projects

Press Bay Alley

Press Bay Alley is Complete!

June 5, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

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Well, this project turned out pretty awesome, and what a great transformation of what was previously a bay of loading garages. Stop by the end of Green Street before crossing Cayuga Street downtown and check-out Boxy Bikes and Amuse: Modern Cottage Industry, retail tenants that have now occupied the building.

The previous surface asphalt has been demoed and taken away, and new sections of sidewalk slab now fill the open space, flanked by steel bollards and planters. The project was completed by John Guttridge and David Kuckuck of Urban Core, LLC, with design by John and Claudia Brenner Architects, garage doors by Overhead Door, metal work by Accufab, masonry by McPherson Builders and general carpentry by RG Builders. The west face of the building is still whitewashed in preparation for a mural artist, but the site is open and ready for business.

 

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New Tenant for Press Bay Alley & Future Mural

April 21, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

AmusePress Bay Alley at the end of Green Street across from Life’s So Sweet will be hosting a new tenant Amuse: Modern Cottage Industry starting July 1st, in addition to Boxy Bikes, which was announced back in February. Amuse will be a gift shop (photos here), and both retailers will be open during Ithaca Festival May 29th-June 1st so you can check them out.

In addition to the added retailer debuting this Summer, the building now has complete metal coping along the roof edge, and a fresh paint coat base in preparation for a talented mural artist to bring this canvas to life.

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Press Bay Alley: Retailer “Boxy Bikes”

February 19, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

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A retailer has been set for one of the Press Bay Alley spaces, and it’s Ithaca’s Boxy Bikes, a company that makes custom electric bicycles. They contain a battery, a motor, and are plugged-in at night to charge. “E-bikes” as they’re called, are generally intended as a biking aid, to help climb hills and steep inclines, or for transporting cargo. A couple articles, one last September and another in 2011 noted that E-Bikes are gaining considerable popularity, especially in Europe, where now in the Netherlands (legitimately described as the Western bike capital of the world), every one in six bikes sold is an E-bike. China is an established exporter, as well as having its own strong E-bike market. High-end finished factory models can be quite expensive, so there’s ample room for customizers and DIY-ers. The move-in for Boxy Bikes should be sometime this Spring.

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Press Bay Alley Getting Close to Opening Day

January 23, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Swung by today, and besides final interior painting, roof trim fascia, some gutter work, and final electric, this project is nearing completion. John Guttridge, the owner, indicated that everything should be done sometime around the end of this month. I hope to see some adventurous tenants move in- it’s a cool space, perfect for a small cafe or a retail concept to get off the ground, especially since there’s ample space in front of each bay to stretch into once the weather gets nice in the Spring. Looking forward to opening day.

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Before Photo:
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Press Bay Alley Garage Door Installations

December 11, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

The garage doors on the Press Bay Alley project are going in this week, so we should expect fully enclosed spaces soon. The excavator was there today to dig-out soil in preparation for the new iron pipe water service to the sprinkler system and water supply. The corner space on Green Street is targeted for a café/espresso bar, but no tenant has yet been announced.

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Press Bay Alley Interior Work Photos

December 1, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

The Press Bay Alley project now has framed interior walls along the western side with spray foam insulation going the full length from floor to ceiling instead of fiberglass insulation. Spray foams have been common in new home construction since the 1970s and are seeing wider use in many insulation applications nowadays due to their superior thermal resistance (R-values) and tax incentives for residential building envelope improvements. A typical home has a significant portion of their thermal loss attributed to barriers with insulation, so improvements in insulation are commonly the “low-hanging fruit” for energy cost reductions. Snug Planet does a lot of insulation work locally, and has some case studies online for those interested in browsing a few thermal-efficiency projects.

 

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Press Bay Alley Photo Update

November 6, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Here are some photos taken today of the Press Bay Alley site. The steel-framed glass panels have been installed along each of the bay headers, and within the past couple weeks, stud walls have been framed onto the cinder block walls. Next up, I imagine electrical runs will be made, then insulation batts will be stuffed into the stud cavities, and sheetrock to finish.

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Press Bay Alley Updated Progress Photos

October 28, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Overhead Door was on site last week to install the upper sections of each bay opening. The roof now has a membrane layer, which will be covered-over with fascia trim along the edges. It will be interesting to see how the individual spaces are built out, mostly dependent on the tenants that rent them out. The immediate area gets plenty of foot traffic, and there have been regular pop-up gallery events (Art in the Alley), along with activities hosted by Ithaca Generator, located down the stairs past Life’s So Sweet, the chocolatier next door.

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Press Bay Alley: Progress Photos I

October 14, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Accufab started off by securing the steel plate columns to each bay divider, then columns centered on each bay, which will form the new entry doors to each micro-retail unit space. The latest photo is from last week- more to come.

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Press Bay Alley Demolition Prep for Steel

October 1, 2013 // by Jason Henderson

Press Bay Alley’s old garage doors have been completely removed in preparation for Accufab‘s steel work on each of these bays for micro-retail spaces. Accufab’s work will be going on this week, and then Overhead Door will be installing new roll-up doors. The owner John Guttridge said that the integration of the steel garage door roll-up headers on the top of each bay will match the steel work all the way down, so the retail facade will essentially look like one integrated steel face. See the project page for previous renders.

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