Architect Sherwood Holt (1894-1992) purchased a lot on the Western Slope not long after Newman laid out the section. He designed a Colonial Revival home for his family at 130 Sunset Drive with a sloping back yard with expansive views.
Holt was a first-generation Midwesterner who earned his design degree from the University of Michigan. He came to Ithaca in 1924 and worked on the Cornell University master plan led by architect Bryant Fleming.
Holt formed his own firm in 1933 and practiced until his retirement in 1967. In his three decades as a prolific Ithaca designer, he partnered with noted architects Arthur Gibb and William Downing. His office designed schools, including the South Hill School, fraternities and sororities, and public buildings, including the Corners Community Center in Cayuga Heights, as well as many private homes.
Mildred Gebhart Holt (1897-1987), who was born in Michigan, was an active member of the Ithaca Garden Club and offered tours of the shaded back lawn and garden at 130 Sunset Drive, which had a path linking it to the Sutton yard next door. She volunteered with the Mary Hibbard Aid and Service League organizations of Ithaca.
The Sunset Drive home remained in the Holt family until it was sold in 1992.
Patricia Longoria
Deputy Historian
2017
SOURCES
First Garden Tour Arranged,” Ithaca Journal, June 10, 1941, p. 4;
“Local Obituaries: Mildred G. Holt,” Ithaca Journal, September 5, 1987, p. 5;
“Obituaries: Sherwood Holt,” Ithaca Journal, April 27, 1992, p. 4;
Tompkins County Clerk’s Deed Book 217, Page 449, Cayuga Heights Land Corporation to Sherwood Holt and Mildred G. Holt, April 1, 1929.
First Garden Tour Arranged,” Ithaca Journal, June 10, 1941, p. 4;
“Local Obituaries: Mildred G. Holt,” Ithaca Journal, September 5, 1987, p. 5;
“Obituaries: Sherwood Holt,” Ithaca Journal, April 27, 1992, p. 4;
Tompkins County Clerk’s Deed Book 217, Page 449, Cayuga Heights Land Corporation to Sherwood Holt and Mildred G. Holt, April 1, 1929.