119 Sears St Ithaca

Chronology of conveyance transactions and other events confirming addresses, owners, and location of this property from the time of the 1920 census through demolition in 1988.

Deeds and maps referred to are all available from the online database service of the Tompkins County Clerk by clicking the link below, logging in as guest, and searching by Instrument (Document) Number, for example: BF017506-001

Note: The sources for some events are provided in links to HistoryForge person records (e.g., for deaths) or narratives/stories (e.g. for excerpts from newspaper content)

Legal Notice -- Tompkins County Court -- Auction after foreclosure to be held on February 7, 1957.
The Ithaca Journal, Jan 16 1957,  P. 15, Col. 9.

"ITHACA SAVINGS BANG[sic] of Ithaca, New York, Plaintiff,
vs.
CARLETON R. COREY and SHIRLEY A. COREY, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LAKE VIEW DAIRIES, TOMPKINS COUNTY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, NOAH KASSMAN, LAWRENCE TOWNLEY, d/b/a Townley Motors, and SARAH BORONKAY, Defendants
----
In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly made and entered in the above-entitled action, and bearing date the 15th of January. 1957, I, the undersigned, the Referee in said Judgment named, will sell at public auction at the main lobby of the County Court House in the City of Ithaca, County of Tompkins, New York, on the 7th day of February, 1957, at eleven (11) o'clock in the forenoon of that day, the premises directed by said Judgment to be sold and therein described as follows:
  ALL THAT TRACT OR PARCEL OF LAND, situate in the City of Ithaca, County of Tompkins and State of New York and being the southwest corner of Lot T of block number 88 as laid out on the DeWitt, Woodward and St. John Map of the Village (now City) of Ithaca [BF017506-001 MAP dated 1835], more particularly bounded and described as follows: Beginning at a pipe set in the east line of Sears Street located about three hundred thirty-three (333) feet north from the north line of East Court Street at the southwest corner of said Lot T: running thence east along the south line of said Lot T (it being also the north line of Lot U) and ten inches (10") north of the face of the dwelling located at 117 Sears Street and owned by Sarah Furey, a total distance of one hundred twenty and five-tenths feet (120.5) to an old pipe marking the northwest corner of lands of Frank L. Blakeslee: running thence north along the center line of Lot T and the westerly boundary of premises of George G. and Dorothy C. McCauley, thirty-three (33) feet to a pipe: running thence west along the south line of lands of George L. Brown one hundred twenty and five-tenths feet (120.5') to a pipe set in the east line of Sears Street, thirty-three feet (33) to the place of beginning.
...
  The dwelling on the above described premises is designated 119 Sears Street. For a more particular description of the above described premises including the encroachments above mentioned, reference is made to a Map of 119 Sears Street in the City of Ithaca, New York." made by Carl Crandall, C.E., dated June 26, 1953, [BF001923-001 MAP] a copy of which is attached to the deed to the mortgagors hereinafter referred to.
  Being the same premises conveyed to Julia Johns and her deceased husband, Moses John, as tenants by the entirety, by deed of Francis Woolever, et al, dated January 6. 1937, and recorded in the Tompkins County Clerk's office in Liber 243 of Deeds at page 32 [BF105477-001 DEED]. The said Moses John died May 9, 1938 leaving the said Julia John. as sole surviving tenant by the entirety.
...
  Dated at the City of Ithaca, New York, this 15th day of January 1957.
ENOS A, PYLE
Referee"

Tearing down houses for a bigger parking lot (on Sears St, extending parking for property on N Tioga St)
The Ithaca Journal, Oct 24 1988, P. 10, Col. 4.

  Letter
"So Dr. Baker is at it again — tearing down a habitable residence at 119 Sears St. to further demote a neighborhood in order to enhance his own commercial enterprise. He proposes an extension of a parking lot that I and others in the affected area have yet to see filled to capacity.
  This house is being torn down because it needs a new roof — not a huge undertaking for a landlord of Dr. Baker's extensive rental and business holdings.
  The Ithaca Journal stated that Dr. Robert W. Baker — on his own or with his wife, Natalie Baker, or others - owns several buildings in the city block encompassing Sears and North Tioga, running from Court Street to Cascadilla Avenue.
  For the record, there are only four remaining properties on three sides of this block that Dr. Baker doesn't own, and he has attempted to add them to his collection.
  Before half of it was bought up by Dr. Baker, Sears Street was a residential neighborhood. First he bought up all the houses on the east side but one (and for this he apparently has an option to buy) and then tore down nearly half of them (four out of the original nine —and keep your eye on 121. It looks like it needs a new roof and no doubt will be the next to go).
  Although this may be Dr. Baker's idea of progress, the City of Ithaca must share some of the blame for this extensive loss of housing. Why is it so easy for a landlord to neglect rental residences for years and then demolish them for the expansion of a commercial parking lot?"