Ithaca Builds

Mapping, photos and information for Ithaca construction and development projects

Project Updates

Klarman Hall Project Digs Bedrock, Constructing Footings

July 26, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Excavation work for Cornell’s Klarman Hall Project between the wings of Goldwin Smith Hall has been making its way into bedrock, as Maine Drilling and Blasting has removed stone in the northern and southern blast zones. The foundation footings follow-up after the rock blasting, and it looks as if Welliver has constructed a series of rebar bends to form the reinforcement for some of the southern footings below. It’s been interesting getting a glimpse of the outside wall of Goldwin Smith Hall’s foundation: just a combination of stone, brick, and mortar, probably well over 2 feet thick. The building was originally constructed in 1892, around the time the two-way telegraph was invented to put things into perspective.

July 24th:

Goldwin-Klarman-Hall-Cornell-Ithaca-062414-213

Goldwin-Klarman-Hall-Cornell-Ithaca-062414-211

Goldwin-Klarman-Hall-Cornell-Ithaca-062414-210

Goldwin-Klarman-Hall-Cornell-Ithaca-062414-209

Goldwin-Klarman-Hall-Cornell-Ithaca-062414-208

Goldwin-Klarman-Hall-Cornell-Ithaca-062414-204

Goldwin-Klarman-Hall-Cornell-Ithaca-062414-202

The slate and metal re-roofing of Goldwin Smith Hall seems to have made its way to the central wing as well:

July 19th:

July 2nd:

TC3’s Coltivare Project Floor Plan and Photo Update

July 24, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

The Tompkins Cortland Community College 17,000 square foot Coltivare Project has been making progress in the ground floor of the Cayuga Street Parking Garage, as the newly-formed Farm-to-Bistro Program plans to make use of the space this coming semester once the space is complete. Some new signage plans were released, along with a floor plan of the space below.

Walls have been framed-out, plumbing rough-ins look complete, but HVAC and electrical look to be in progress. A few of the walls have been covered in drywall, and the large venting hood units have moved into the future cooking lab to be hung once the venting ductwork is run. I’ve been told there are either 6 or 8 (can’t recall) cooking surface units for hands-on classes, and the layouts of the wine cellar/dining and reception areas have been altered since the original design. The video about the program is still up, which explains some of the background and intentions (there’s a farm out in Dryden where students learn the whole process from crop agriculture to plate).

Construction by Turnbull-Wahlert (see Cayuga Place Residences Project by Bloomfield/Schon + Partners), and design by Ramsgard Architectural Design.

July 24th:

July 15th:

Thurston Avenue Apartments July Photo Update

July 24, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

RABCO‘s 18-unit, 57-bedroom Thurston Avenue Apartments project is showing completed brick facade work, sitework to prep for a new parking lot and driveway, some landscaping stonework, and the HardieTrim panels and synthetic stucco is coming along on Buildings C & D. The Marvin Integrity windows were installed back in June, and the buildings were fully-framed, wrapped, and roofed throughout the month of May.

The project is being built by G.M. Crisalli & Associates, with design by HOLT Architects, and landscape by TWLA. Occupancy is expected in August, for students moving-in to begin the Fall semester.

July 24th:

Building C:

Building D:

Site Plan below (Building A, the small one in the corner will be a later phase):

July 2nd:

La Tourelle & Firelight Camps: Glamping Project

July 15, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

If you haven’t Google image-searched “Glamping” yet, I would do so now, link here. When I first heard the term about a year ago I didn’t know what it meant, but it’s luxury camping (Glamorous camping, yes). State parks have dominated the car/tent camping getaway for a long time, but the business model is an amenitized, stepped-up version of just that, which sounds pretty cool. For urbanites, young couples and professionals without the space or time to store or transport a load of camping gear, this seems like an ideal solution to get some nature, but still maintain amenities you would find in a hotel. Apparently, it’s quite popular on the West coast.

La Tourelle has been through a series of Town of Ithaca approvals, partnering with Firelight Camps, a startup hoping to create a brand out of the pilot project. The plan is to build 25 of these tents in various sizes (13’x20′, 14’x16′, 16’x22′), with a common tent (already up), a large hot tub, firepit, bathroom and wash facilities, and outdoor grills. I took a tour with Scott Wiggins, owner and manager of La Tourelle, and took some photos below.

The lower site used to contain two clay tennis courts, providing the perfect foundation for a stone patio and assembly area. The looped drive was graded and rocked over for the main camp, along with clearing of additional trails and staging areas for the tent sites.

Guests will have access to the August Moon Spa, John Thomas Steakhouse, and support from the La Tourelle staff during their stay. So far there’s been interest from folks planning wedding parties, young families, and large groups looking for a nice outdoor weekend.

The tents will come in two varieties (to test each out), with one having two posts and one beam, and the other with one main center post. The material is fire-retardant fabric with a rain fly over top.

The platforms are being built with Locust posts and rough-milled Larch lumber for the decks (both species age well outside), requiring oversized joist hangers with long carriage bolts to secure the corners and beams. This first deck will be for one of the larger 16′ x 22′ tents, which includes a queen mattress, tables and chairs, and an open area in the back with a guardrail, rain cover and bug netting.

Many of the wooded sites have been cleared, seeded, and post holes dug, but for this season, the plan is to build six tents to be ready by early September, then more for next year.

Site Plan Review Submission from back in May available here

My Thanks to Scott Wiggins for the tour, and Robert Frisch of Firelight Camps

La-Tourelle-Firelight-Glamping-Ithaca-06151413

La-Tourelle-Firelight-Glamping-Ithaca-06151412

La-Tourelle-Firelight-Glamping-Ithaca-06151409

La-Tourelle-Firelight-Glamping-Ithaca-06151408

La-Tourelle-Firelight-Glamping-Ithaca-06151406

La-Tourelle-Firelight-Glamping-Ithaca-06151405

La-Tourelle-Firelight-Glamping-Ithaca-06151403

La-Tourelle-Firelight-Glamping-Ithaca-06151402

La-Tourelle-Firelight-Glamping-Ithaca-06151401

Stone Quarry Apartments Updated Design Renders

July 14, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

The designs for Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Service‘s 35-unit Stone Quarry Apartments project have been further revised, and new renders were released for the final City Site Plan Review last month, as noted by BC on Ithacating. The plans remain largely the same for 400 Spencer Road, as INHS will be building:
16 three-bedroom Townhouses
2 three-bedroom Apartments
11 two-bedroom Apartments
6 one-bedroom Apartments

National contractor Lecesse Construction with an office out of Henrietta, NY has been tapped for General Construction, with sub-contracting bids currently being solicited this month.

Updated renders for Townhouse Units:

Apartment Building:

Design by HOLT Architects, Trowbridge Wolf Michaels Landscape Architects, and Elwyn & Palmer Consulting Engineers.

Cayuga Place Residences Block Work

July 10, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Well, there is no available time wasted here, as foundation footings and walls have wrapped-up and we are on to block work for the stairwell towers and elevator shaft on the western wall of Bloomfield/Schon + Partners’ Cayuga Place Residences project that will rise to seven stories. It had never occurred to me to take photos from the parking garage until B.C.’s post here, but this should be a fun project to watch from many different angles and elevations. General construction by Turnbull-Wahlert Construction of Cincinnati, Ohio. The building will contain 45 market-rate apartment units, with a walkway into the adjacent Green Street Parking Garage.

Cornell Gannett Health Center Expansion

July 8, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Cornell’s Gannett Health Center will be undergoing a $55 million expansion project that will increase the total gross square footage from 35,000 to approximately 96,000 GSF by 2017. The expansion will be done in three phases for a 4-story curved wing from south to north-west along Campus Road, with an interior centered around three equally-sized Integrated Care Modules, vertically stacked on each floor (ICMs combine both primary/medical and mental health services). Cornell University Health Services sees around 90,000 annual clinical visits with a total staff around 200. The design team includes Chiang | O’Brien Architects, TG Miller P.C.Engineers and Surveyors, and Ryan Briggs Structural Engineers.

Construction Phasing:

The new 55,000 GSF UHSF Building (north-west corner) will be constructed in the three phases over the course of 2.5 years, and once constructed, the Gannett Center will move-in, then 22,400 GSF of the existing 35,000 GSF building will be completely renovated. In that same Phase Two, the new 18,600 GSF building at the south-east corner will be constructed. Phase Three will be a re-construction of the entrance along Ho Plaza.

Here are some shots from the submitted plans:

Here are the floor layouts for the Phase One portion of the project:

Site Plan Review Part 1
Site Plan Review Part 2
Site Plan Review Part 3
Site Plan Review Part 4

Statler Hall Renovation July Photo Update

July 2, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

The Statler Hall Entry Renovation on the western side of the building is in progress, as excavation work made way for new foundations for the future structural column to support the corner of the bumped-out 450 square foot vestibule, and also for the future benches outside the entry. The $2.4 million project will join the list of three previous major renovations to the building (not invluding the Beck Center and Tower Renovation), originally built in 1949. Updated photos below:

Photos from July 2nd:

Photos from June 19th:

Westgate Plaza June Photo Update

July 1, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Westgate Plaza, which houses the Finger Lakes Beverage Center and FedEx Office is being re-sided this summer by Benchmark Construction Fritz Contracting, along with a new wraparound awning with new side entry, and a renovated interior for the Beverage Center, allowing for a large expansion of retail floor space. The cultured stone base has made its way around the Seneca street side of the building, and the Dryvit panels will probably be finishing-up install on the remaining wall section soon.

Lehigh Valley House Facade Work

June 30, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Work on the new facade for the Lehigh Valley House has been progressing, along with interiors for Ithaca’s very own (and I think first) West End condominium project. Timmy Ciaschi is renovating the entire building for six condominium units on the upper floors (hurry if you’re interested), and a few commercial spaces on the ground floor as the Lehigh Valley House Restaurant’s storied 113 years came to a close in 2010. The small one-story addition in the rear yard has been completely demo’ed out, and will be replaced with a new enclosed bump-out for garage parking spaces. After the remaining fiber cement siding and trim boards are installed, the ground floor will be receiving a new wrap-around awning to match the style of the original cornice and brackets (see elevations below).

Photos from today:

Photos from the 23rd below:

Share on:

Share on:

Share on:

Share on:

Share on:

Share on:

Construction Phasing:

Share on:

Share on:

Share on:

Share on: