226 S Albany St Ithaca

A previous house existed at this location until the 1890s.

Source: Henry St. John Local Historic District Nomination, Sara Johnson and Kristin Olson, Historic Ithaca, Inc., 2012.

Description: 
226 South Albany Street is located on a narrow lot on the west side of the street, slightly north of West Clinton Street. It is a two-and-a-half-story vernacular house of masonry and frame construction built ca. 1926. The house is front-gabled and rectangular in plan with a deep, one story, full-width porch inspired by the Craftsman style.

The foundation and first story are constructed of unparged concrete block with a brick water table between the foundation and first story. It is likely that there was never any additional cladding on the concrete block. On the first story, 1/1 windows have brick lintels and sills. The front-gabled porch is raised above ground level, with three evenly spaced battered wood porch supports resting on brick pedestals. 

The second story and gable end are clad in aluminum siding. The overhanging eaves have squared rafter tails. Second story windows are 1/1 with wood frames. A semicircular window is under the gable on the east façade. Windows are evenly spaced across the south façade. The north façade had a gable dormer, asymmetrically arranged second story windows, and a side entry covered by a gable hood. Single first-story windows are located near the east and west corners.

A narrow gavel driveway runs along the north side of the house to a one-story masonry garage at the northwest corner of the lot; it appears that the garage was built at the same time as the house. 

Significance: 
Contributing. Architecturally significant. Garage contributing.

226 South Albany Street is architecturally significant as a unique example of a bungalow-type residence incorporating Craftsman-style details. It is representative of the last period of development in the neighborhood, in which houses were generally of more modest scale and design than earlier residences. The house retains almost all original exterior finishes, but the application of aluminum siding over the original second story wood shingles has impacted its integrity. The garage, built at the same time as the house, is also architecturally significant as an example of an early automobile garage.

The house was built ca. 1924-25 for Randall G. Goldsmith, a yard foreman at Robinson & Carpenter lumber and coal yard. This house was constructed during the last building boom in the neighborhood. A house was located on the lot as early as 1851, but was demolished prior to 1898. When the earlier house was extant, the property was owned by Emma W. Besemer and Dr. Martin Besemer, who lived at 224 South Albany Street.

Sources: 
Bevans, John. 1851 Map of Ithaca, Tompkins Co., N.Y. New York: John Bevans, 1851. The History Center In Tompkins County, Ithaca, NY. 
Ithaca directories, 1864-1981. Historic Ithaca, Inc., Ithaca, NY. 
Sanborn Map Company. Ithaca, NY fire insurance maps, 1888-1961.The History Center In Tompkins County, Ithaca, NY. 
Sullivan, Colleen. Building-Structure Inventory Form for 226 South Albany Street. Ithaca, NY: 1987. Historic Ithaca, Ithaca, Inc., NY. 
Tompkins County Department of Assessment. Tompkins County tax assessment photographs, 1954. Historic Ithaca, Inc., Ithaca, NY. 
Tompkins County, NY. Deeds and survey maps, 1850-2010. Office of the Tompkins County Clerk, Ithaca, NY.