208 S Geneva St Ithaca

Street Address History:
Earlier street address 24 S Geneva St.
The city renumbered its streets in 1899 using the hundred block system (see Crandall City Engineering Map, 1899).

Source of Building Data: 1910 Sanborn Fire Insurance Atlas;
Multi-Family Construction: ; 
Roof of Main Structure: Non-combustible; 
Additional Sections: Section 1, back (W), 2 stories, non-combustible roof; 
Outbuildings: ; 
Porches: Porch 1, front wraparound (E, S), 1 story, non-combustible roof / Porch 2, left side (S), 1 story, non-combustible roof / Porch 3, back (W), 1 story, non-combustible roof ; 
Other: Sanborn 1910 shows earlier address as #204 S Geneva St;

Source: Henry St. John Local Historic District Nomination, Sara Johnson and Kristin Olson, Historic Ithaca, Inc., 2012.
Description: 
208 South Geneva Street is located on a small lot on the west side of the street, two lots south of West Green Street. Ithaca’s commercial neighborhood begins across West Green Street to the south. The houses on this block of South Geneva Street are closely spaced on lots that are generally smaller than those south of West Clinton Street and the house almost touches its neighbor to the north, 206 South Geneva Street.
208 South Geneva Street is a two-and-a-half-story wood frame house in the Queen Anne style and may have been constructed ca. 1890 after a fire damaged or destroyed the house originally built on the lot between 1853 and 1866. The house is rectangular in plan with a medium-pitched, front-gabled roof, a two-and-a-half-story, hipped-roof tower at the southwest corner, a two-story rear wing, and a deep, single-story porch wrapping across the east and south façades.
Walls are clad in clapboard with corner boards and a wide band of vertical board siding caps the second story. The gable end has a decorative truss and incised vergeboards and curving corner brackets. A double window of stained glass Queen Anne-style sash with an ornate surround is under the gable. The gable end is clad in fishscale pattern wood shingles and flares slightly over the second story. The overhanging eaves have exposed rafter tails.
Windows are generally tall and have a multiple-light stained glass upper sash and single-light lower sash. Raised and incised wood panels with a floral and vine motif sit above each second story window in the wide band of vertical boards. The northernmost window of the east façade is partially covered with a fixed shutter in a sunburst pattern.
The wrap-around porch has a very low-pitched hipped roof supported by paired and triple partial-height Doric columns on pedestals. A low, slatted balustrade runs between pedestals. The primary entry is in the north corner of the east façade.
An asphalt driveway runs along the south side of the house to a small, one-bay, hipped roof garage. The garage, constructed between 1919-1920, is clad in clapboard with a set of narrow triple early garage doors.
Significance: 
Contributing. Architecturally significant. 
Garage contributing and architecturally significant.
208 South Geneva Street is architecturally significant as an example of a Queen Anne style residence with intact original details, including abundant stained glass, and a variety of cladding materials and decorative wood trim. It retains a high level of architectural integrity. The garage is also architecturally significant, with intact original details and materials.
The property was owned by Frederick and Mary G. Andrus from 1833-1873. Frederick K. Andrus was a partner in Andrus, McChain & Co., printers, book binders, and paper manufacturers. The Andrus family built what is now known as the Whiton House, 222 South Aurora Street.
Alterations: 
A house was located on the 208 South Geneva Street lot by 1872, but past owners indicated that the first house burned and was rebuilt ca. 1890, although it is possible that the first house was simply updated to meet changing architectural fashions. Sanborn company maps indicate that the southwest tower and wrap-around porch were constructed between 1888 and 1893, while the house was owned by Robert Reed and Thomas McCrea, partners in Reed & McCrea butchershop who also owned 202 South Geneva Street. A small one-story porch may also have been added to the west façade.
Sources: 
Ithaca directories, 1864-1981. Historic Ithaca, Inc., Ithaca, NY. 
Levine, Jeffrey. Building-Structure Inventory Form for 208 South Geneva Street, Ithaca, NY: 1987. Historic Ithaca, Inc., Ithaca, NY. 
Sanborn Map Company. Ithaca, NY fire insurance maps, 1888-1961.The History Center In Tompkins County, Ithaca, 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.