Ithaca Builds

Mapping, photos and information for Ithaca construction and development projects

Collegetown Terrace Updated Photos for June

June 16, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Updated photos here for Novarr-Mackesey‘s Collegetown Terrace Buildings 5 & 6 built by Welliver along the south slope of State Street. Buildings 5 & 6 will be finishing-up for occupancy later this summer, and the facades are 100% done now- the scales along the northern sides are complete, and the stucco/fiber cement panel combinations on the south sides were completed weeks ago. The metal pedestrian walkway connecting Building 5’s glass-walled common space to Building 3.4’s entry pavilion has been painted bright green, and there’s now an asphalt walkway between both buildings, as the concrete stairways and metal railings are finishing-up.

The project was designed by ikon.5 architects out of Princeton, New Jersey; the firm was judged as the 4th best design firm in the United States for 2013 by a panel from Architect Magazine (the AIA’s official publication, American Institute of Architects). The plans for Building 7 require a zoning variance to build 247 units (up from 178 due to the desire to forego parking on the second level for dorm-style units), but I haven’t seen a final resolution or record of vote for the revision. If approved, the net additional bed count for the whole project would go from 589 to 669 net additional bedrooms (the construction required the demolition of the former Valentine Apartment complexes).

Collegetown Terrace Late May Photo Update

May 28, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Novarr-Mackesey‘s 1,226 bed Collegetown Terrace project being constructed by Welliver is showing more progress as spring draws to a close in a few weeks, and the summer construction season gets into full swing: the retaining wall and sidewalk at the east end of Building 5 has been poured, further multicolored vinyl siding has been installed along the northern sides of Building 5 & 6, and the curbing, sidewalk, and drive lane gravel from the end of Quarry Street South (Casa Roma‘s entrance) to about the center of Building 5’s south side is set. There’s also been a lot of landscaping work, giving a sense of what the grounds will look like once the project is complete. The planters have nice big stone retaining walls, and the tree and shrub combinations look balanced.

…And for the time-warp, here are some shots taken around the same time last year: May 2013 Photos of Collegetown Terrace

Besides this project, Novarr-Mackesey is likely developing a project for a collection of parcels on a block in Collegetown, surrounding a recent sketch plan proposal: 200 Block of Dryden Road

North side of Building 5:

Southwest end of Building 5, new drive lane:

South sides of Building 5 and 6, these facades look complete:

Northeast side of Building 5, and Building 6 further back. Building 6’s northern facade looks complete by now:

Cornell Klarman & Goldwin Smith Hall Photo Update

May 18, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

An excavator has been removing soil in front of the shoring wall along East Ave, and re-roofing work on Goldwin Smith has progressed to the west side of the building, facing the Arts Quad. I’m not positive, but in looking at the drawings, there must be another shoring wall to go in closer to East Ave. in order to excavate another section of soil for the future building’s foundation. The project schedule shows rock removal beginning about a week from now, so there’s probably a solid layer of bedrock underneath the excavated area. The lowest floor of Klarman Hall will sit nearly equal with Goldwin Smith’s lowest floor, so the excavation will be going down much further.

Klarman Hall will be a new 33,250 square foot Humanities Building, designed by Koetter | Kim & Associates and built by Welliver to be completed around the end of 2015. Goldwin Smith Hall was built in 1892, designed by Charles Osborne (an architecture professor), Carrère and Hastings (a prominent Beaux-Arts/neo-classical architecture firm).

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Cornell Law School Renovation Interior Photos

May 15, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

I swung inside the Cornell Law School Expansion this past week to follow-up from the last post with interior photos. This expansion wing on Myron Taylor Hall began back in 2012 and finished-up just a couple weeks ago, in time for convocation this weekend. It was designed by Ann Beha Architects, and constructed by Welliver.

The interior certainly kept with the idea of synthesizing a modern addition into an existing historic structure in a very tasteful manner. There are many wooden surfaces and trim work, and the stone is kept exposed on the interior. Nothing seemed to be either too ornate, or too modern. The lighting is relaxing, and the large windows bring a lot of natural light into the hall lounge. The classrooms are nice as well- good visibility from every seat, and additional screens on each side of the central lecterns. Genuinely tempting to hang out here and read a book, just a great, comfortable space:

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Collegetown Terrace Early May Photo Update

May 12, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Many of the remaining sections of synthetic stucco have been coated to their final finish along the southern faces of Buildings 5 & 6 since about three weeks ago (hard to believe there was snow on the ground then), and along the roof lines, it looks like some of the metal coping has been installed over top the EPDM membrane edges. When I swung by, there was a crew on the northern side of Building 5 installing the scale-like facade, which has also progressed on Building 6’s northern side. At the entrance between Buildings 5 & 6, there’s also a set of forms for pouring a new retaining wall along Building 5. I haven’t seen the interiors, but there’s no doubt they’re far along, as the extended cold winter provided ample time for focusing on interiors at many project sites in the area. Amenities for the Building 5 units listed here.. granite counters, limestone tile, fully furnished- sounds nice.

These two buildings will be done by the end of summer, in time for the Fall semester. The developer/management company, Novarr-Mackesey has posted a new site map of the project online (embedded below, minus the future Building 7), and the General Contractor, Welliver has also been busy over at Cornell’s Klarman Hall project, which should start foundation work later this summer.

Southern faces of Buildings 5 & 6:

Site Map:

Northern face of Building 5, vinyl facade installation:

Southern face of Building 5 (west end):

West end of Building 6:

East end of Building 5, looks like work for a new retaining wall:

Collegetown Terrace Mid-April Photos

April 22, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

I was invited to take photos on the Collegetown Terrace site last week through Welliver the General Contractor, so here’s a selection of photos from the south side of the site, and a few taken from the north on the 21st. Building 5 and 6 still have sections of fiber cement panels to install (mostly along the north sides), but the southern facades seem complete minus the areas for synthetic stucco, which are applied with a grey base layer, then a tan-colored finish coat.

Concrete forms and rebar rods have been set for the outside stair section at the west end of Building 5, and very large landscaping boulders are being assembled along the hillside just south of the workout facility. Building 5’s eastern stairwell has also been fully-clad in glass panelling. I was mistaken in earlier posts about the timing for Building 7: due to the appeal to reduce planned parking and increase housing units before the City of Ithaca Board of Zoning Appeals, and the fact that the building is still in design phase, the timing for the project will probably fall into next year for starting excavation and sitework.

Buildings 5 then 6 (left to right):

Building 5 south face:

Building 5 north face (on right):

Site Plan:

My thanks to Welliver for the site visit

Cornell Law School Expansion & Renovation Project

April 18, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

This project was out of public view for the majority of it, but I think it’s definitely worth the visit. The barricades have been removed, so I took a few photos. The new wing is underground, and hosts a lobby space, studying areas, and three new classrooms, along with a re-landscaped Purcell courtyard, and a renovated entryway to Myron Taylor Hall. The project started back in the summer of 2012.

There’s still a live camera feed to the project area, and the Law School hosts an information page with design renders and layouts. Birdseye view of the layout is below:

The original announcement indicated that this project is actually the first expansion for about 25 years, since the Jane Foster Library Addition was added in 1987. The feed from the live cam has been condensed into a time-lapse video of the entire duration of the project.

The project was built by Welliver, and designed by Ann Beha, an architect that specializes in new additions that blend with traditional architecture.

New Wing:

Purcell Courtyard:

Myron Taylor Hall (renovated entryway):

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Renders and Time-Lapse Images property of Cornell University Law School

Collegetown Terrace Early April Photo Update

April 8, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Some facade-panelling has progressed on Collegetown Terrace‘s Buildings 5 & 6 since mid-march, and Building 5’s eastern stairwell has its steel window wall framing installed, so glass should follow-up soon to match the installation currently on Building 6’s western end. The stairwell ends were used for loading-in building materials, so the closing-up is probably a good sign that the interior is well on its way.

Building 5 south face:

Building 5 east end:

Building 5 north face:

Collegetown Terrace Photo Update: January to Early February

February 10, 2014 // by Jason Henderson

Here are some shots of the Novarr-Mackesey Collegetown Terrace Project taken this past Sunday- I last visited in late December. Building 5 has been fully framed, sheathed, and windows have been installed up to the final fifth level, with just a bit more sheathing work to be done on the western end and also the stair tower on the eastern end (which is used for loading-in materials anyway). Building 6 has nearly completed weather wrap installation, and the facade panels are coming along, which began at the top level. The pre-fabricated rectangular steel piece for the elevated walkway towards the center of Building 5’s northern face (the glass-covered common area) has been lifted and secured into place, providing a path from Building 5 to Building 3.4, at the south side of the entry pavilion. From what I can see on the outside through the glass, the work within the units themselves has been progressing well, and even in this cold, the amount of exterior work in the past month is impressive. From the shot of Building 5’s southern face, you can also see the opening for the future elevated walkway from Building 5 to Building 7, which will be the last, largest, and longest building in the project (and it looks as if the retaining wall has already been poured).

The apartment development has a cool new website you can check out, with a bunch of new photos, and floor plans images for each individual floor layout.

Building 5 southern face, at western end: