Source: Henry St. John Local Historic District Nomination, Sara Johnson and Kristin Olson, Historic Ithaca, Inc., 2012.
Description:
221 South Geneva Street is located mid-block on the east side of the street, encompassing an area the size of four residential lots. The McGraw House senior housing complex was constructed in 1971 on the 197’ x 199’ parcel. The brick and concrete structure has a T-shaped plan, with a six-story rectangular section running north to south along the east side of the property and a four-story wing rectangular wing projecting from its center to the west. Both structures have brick-clad walls with concrete bands between stories. A paved parking lot is located in the northwest quarter of the property.
In 2009, the McGraw House announced that it was developing plans for expansion, but as of July 2012, these plans were not yet finalized.
Significance:
Non-contributing.
221 South Geneva Street is non-contributing because it is incompatible with the scale and massing of the district. It was built in 1971, after the district’s period of significance. Four detached houses (#215, #217, #219, #223) were demolished in order to construct the facility.
Sources:
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.