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Old Posted Nov 24, 2012, 1:39 AM
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Looks like Ithaca's going to ensure more historic buildings will see a future (from the Ithaca Journal):


The 1871 Sprague House, at Albany Street and Titus Avenue, is in the proposed Henry St. John Historic District. / DAVID HILL / Staff photo


Ithaca's 6th historic district possible
Henry St. John area being reviewed

7:11 PM, Nov 23, 2012
Written by
David Hill

ITHACA — The city will get a sixth local historic district under a proposal involving the Henry St. John neighborhood, which goes before Ithaca’s Landmarks Preservation Commission next month.

At its Dec. 11 meeting, the commission will hold a public hearing on a proposal for the designation. The area lies between Green Street on the North and Titus Avenue on the south. Its boundary on the west is generally Albany Street, with about half of the block that extends to Fayette Street. On the east, it would include the lots fronting Geneva Street, as well as several along Titus Avenue and Green Street.
The designation would have to be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and ultimately Common Council. The Planning and Development Board would also weigh in with comments.
If designated as a local historic district, exterior alterations would require a certificate of appropriateness from the commission. Exceptions may be made for economic hardship and regular maintenance. Property owners may then be eligible for state and federal tax credits. Increases in property taxes for rehabilitation work could be phased in over 10 years, with no increase in the first five years.
The neighborhood takes its name from the former elementary school at 206 S. Geneva St., now used for apartments, offices and a gym. The school, opened in 1925, was named for a longtime member of the Ithaca school board, whose father, Ansel St. John, came to Ithaca in the 1820s and was a bank teller, according to Tompkins County Historian Carol Kammen.
According to the city’s summary of significance and boundary justification for the district designation, part of the district was developed in the first quarter of the 19th century and has some of the downtown area’s oldest homes. The southern part was built later by developer Charles M. Titus, who drained the swampy area to make way for some showy homes.
Several prominent civic and business leaders lived in the neighborhood, and some large high-style homes remain on the 200 and 400 blocks of South Albany Street. One of the most recognizable is the Sprague House on the northwest corner of Albany Street and Titus Avenue, built in the elaborate Second Empire style.

The last home in the neighborhood was built in 1932. Architectural styles include Gothic revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Stick, Colonial Revival and Craftsman.
Alderman Seph Murtagh, D-2nd Ward, said he’d support the nomination.
“I understand that it does place restrictions on repairs and things that people might want to do to their homes, but it also means that property owners will be eligible for grants and tax credits that are available to people in historic districts,” he said in an e-mail. “It’s true, also, that property values in historic districts tend to be higher than elsewhere. There’s a lot of beautiful, old, historic architecture in the Henry St. John neighborhood, and it’s an important part of the city’s heritage, and I think this designation recognizes it as such.”
Other historic districts in the city are the Clinton Block, comprising the Clinton House, Clinton Hall and neighboring buildings; the Cornell University Arts Quad; Cornell Heights; the DeWitt Park Area; and the East Hill Historic District.


here's the link:

http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...text|FRONTPAGE
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