224 East State St., 104-106 North Aurora St. Historic name: Griffin Block
"Four-story, three-bay wide, ten-bay deep, red brick Italianate-style commercial building located at the comer of Aurora Street; State Street facade has restored cast iron storefront (1974) with three bays delineated by cast iron supports with Corinthian capitals and fanlight transom windows in each bay; recessed entrance in center bay flanked by single-light display windows in side bays; second and third stories retain a two-story, three-sided, stamped metal bay window with historic one-over-one sash; pressed metal spandrel panels between second- and third-story windows; this feature was probably added in the early twentieth century; fourth story retains original three segmentally arched windows with cast iron window hoods and sills and one-over-one sash. Aurora Street facade contains a single-light display window with scroll brackets above sidewalk basement access with a decorative cast and wrought iron handrail; two entrances to altered storefront with display windows flanked by stone piers in three northernmost bays; Aurora Street upper story facade retains segmental arched windows with cast iron window hoods and sills and historic one-over-one sash; brick entablature consists of frieze with recessed lozenges between paired corbelled brackets capped by dentil course and plain frieze. Built 1872; restored 1974.
Architect: A.B. Dale
Builder: Jerry Smith for William H. Griffin
Historical note: The cast iron street-level facade and brick cornice are original elements of the 1872 design; the bay window was added in 1904; the Browning, King clothing store occupied the storefront from the 1930s until the 1970s; the interior of the first story was restored in 1974 to resemble the Goodie Shop, a sweets shop on the site in the 1920s. The basement has traditionally housed a barber shop since the turn of the twentieth century."
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for Ithaca Downtown Historic District, December 18, 2004