Cornell has a handy FAQ page for this project, and there’s now a project schedule to go along with it (embedded below). Bids are due in September with contractor mobilization in early November. It says the windows on Goldwin will be boarded up to protect them from rock blasting, so I imagine this is the major component of excavation to get the land along East Ave. lowered to the proper grade. The concrete retaining wall along East Ave should follow the excavation.
Klarman Hall Project Schedule
August 2, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Ithaca College Hill Center: Big Facelift
August 1, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Wow, I hadn’t the slightest clue the renovation would be this extensive. The building is almost unrecognizable to what it was before (picture below- basically a modern brutalist concrete bunker, much like the 1969 Dillingham Center next door, picture at end of post).
Quite a fascinating transformation; the sleek wood grain facade goes well with the blue-tinted glass panels, definitely a visual upgrade. Along with the exterior, the interior of the building has extensive ongoing renovations, much like Dillingham had a few years back, (floor plans here).
Youtube has a wonderful collection of videos about Campus facilities from the IC Reference Desk Library for those interested.
Before:
After:
Dillingham Center:
Breckenridge Place Facade Photos
August 1, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Took these photos in the past few days. The Seneca-side brick facade is taking shape, and there are many new windows in-place around the back. Can’t wait to see this a month from now, I think by then the building will be nearly complete on the exterior.
Planned Parenthood Site Photos
July 31, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Similar to last week, foundation form work is coming along.
Maguire Idle, Old K-Mart Activity
July 30, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
No signs of building yet for the Maguire Fiat dealership, but I suppose this is where you go to purchase a Dodge Ram.
Just a stone’s throw away, in the empty stretch of asphalt next door, something must be in the works here at the old shell for K-Mart, which closed in October 2011. I haven’t a clue what exactly..
Fairfield Inn Nearly Finished, Site Photos
July 29, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
There’s a new asphalt walk along the backside of the building, the front entrance still needs some work, and I saw some lighting fixtures being installed through the windows, but this project seems to be wrapping-up, which is just a shame, since it’s really been a pleasure jogging along Route 13 to snap photos (cough). All in all, besides the awful color mismatch of the corporate logo, the building looks simple and somewhat visually-pleasing.
It will be interesting to see the popularity and occupancies of the new hotel projects coming online, especially since I imagine anyone visiting Ithaca to see Ithaca would probably prefer to be downtown, or at a suburban or rural bed and breakfast. Parents of college students or prospective families visiting are likely to take whatever is available, and would probably be much less concerned with location within Ithaca, so long as the hotel has ground-level parking for the car-dependent activities of moving their student(s) in and out of a dorm or apartment.
…And a random FYI, just down the street, this Friendly’s is closing
State & Mitchell Intersection Images and Traffic Data
July 27, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Out of all the intersections in Ithaca, this is probably one of the most commonly misunderstood. The yield sign applying to traffic inbound from Route 79 is often mistaken as applying to inbound traffic from Mitchell, and inbound traffic from Route 79 often mistakes left-turning traffic outbound onto Mitchell as not having the right-of-way to turn.
Congestion is a clear issue during rush hours. Take a look at the plan overlay and the traffic count data. Over 17,000 automobile trips per day occur at this intersection, so it’s becoming vital to redevelop. In addition, cyclists and pedestrians have a tough time fighting traffic at this section. The sheer amount of traffic makes crossing the street as a pedestrian a challenge, and although there’s a bike route, taking the left turn at Mitchell on a bike is dangerous. The bicycle “jug handle” is a common design to separate cycling traffic for the purpose of turning. The idea is to separate bikes that are turning from bikes that are not turning, as well as from automobiles. See the last image in this post for a high-capacity example.
Seneca Way Site Photos
July 25, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Wow, lots of decking work has been moving along, and it’s really noticeable from the exterior because now all the window gaps look really dark from the outside looking in. There’s another set of wall panels sitting on the trailer to the east, and wood reinforcements have made their way to the fifth floor, so we’ll probably see those go up soon. These shots are from today and Monday.
Gates Hall Site Photos
July 25, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Here are some more photos of the spaceship. Besides some work on the future main entry, I didn’t notice much change on the exterior from two weeks prior. Archdaily has a few posts about Thom Mayne (the architect), and in fact, he’ll be designing the first landmark building for the NYC Tech Campus. If you like this sort of work, here’s an extensive post on Cooper Union, a building he designed and was finished in 2009.
Planned Parenthood Site Photos
July 24, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
We’ve got some footer forms and rebar cages for the building’s foundation here. Definitely makes the site look bigger for some reason. This was primarily done in the past 10 days, and will probably continue for another few weeks, then concrete pouring once the weather cooperates. This is probably going to be either a supported or floating slab foundation; see diagram below for some example cross-sections.
