"Center Ithaca was one of the chief business issues of 1981 -- and, a major aesthetic issue as well.
The year began as workers braved the cold to continue construction on the $8.15 million shopping, office and apartment complex that would be the final piece of a 15-year-old plan to refurbish downtown Ithaca.
Developed by Scot McRobb and Stanley Goldberg, the building was to follow the precedent of such popular inner-city malls like Boston's fabled Quincy Market. City officials and downtown businessmen breathed a collective sigh of relief as the girders rose in the so-called 'Hole" at the center of the Commons.
Just as the building's planning had been fraught with problems, however, delays and controversies continued.
A plumber's strike delayed the construction schedule. The leasing agent resigned, charging the proposed rents were unreasonably high."
Sidewalk aesthetes criticized the design by
Architect Werner Seligmann and compared its shape and color scheme to the Morse Chain complex up the hill. Some nicknamed it 'The Garage,' due to the line-up of overhead doors facing the Commons.
Center Ithaca quietly opened on Oct. 30, two months behind schedule, with many of its stores and kiosks still unfilled.
The Christmas season brought more shops and an influx of shoppers to wander through the maze of banners and crafts. At the end of 1981, onlookers made varying predictions about the mall's viability in the cold, austere months ahead."
"Year End Review: Center Ithaca," Ithaca Journal, January 1, 1982, 3.