20 The Byway Ithaca

When house numbers were established for Forest Home in the early 1950s, 3-digit numbers were proposed throughout the hamlet, but most residents of The Byway chose to drop the leading "1" and have 2-digit numbers.  The exception was the Guterman family, which used 120.  A year or two after this property was bought by the Mueller family, as listed in the 1968 and later Ithaca city directories, the number was 20.

When inspected in around 1990, 20 The Byway was a one-and-a-half story Greek Revival clapboard structure with one-story wings to each side and pedimented dormers with returns on the main block.  A Dr. and Mrs. Fisher of Elmira, who purchased the house in 1926, were responsible for the addition of the dormer windows and the side wings. Also not original to the house is a pedimented entrance hood with Italianate brackets, although no installation date is recorded. The rear of the house rises from the very edge of the Fall Creek Gorge, and features modernized windows, including an unusual projecting octagonal bay. The owners have thus been able to provide a view of the creek, while retaining the original appearance of the house on the side that is visible to the public.

It is believed that the original house consisted merely of the rectangular center section. The structure was originally built to serve the housing needs of mill owners and workers; it was probably built by Isaac Cradit to house his workers, as were many of the homes located on The Byway. Mill ruins are still visible along the creek, which borders the rear of the buildings. In 1830, the property was purchased by Mills McKinney, operator of the local tannery and great-grandfather of Albert Force, life-long Forest Home resident and local historian.

Included in Forest Home Historic District with USN 10906.000051. To access the Building-Structure Inventory Form (sometimes referred to as the "Blue Form"), from which many of the details above are drawn, follow these Lookup Instructions.