Over a Century of Houses, Over a Century of Stories
In many ways a microcosm of Ithaca itself, the Village of Cayuga Heights has provided residence to farmers, schoolteachers, social workers, physicians, administrators, government workers, builders, architects, and volunteers, along with, in typical Ithaca fashion, at least a dozen Nobel Prize winners, nearly as many Pulitzer Prize recipients, eight MacArthur Award winners, a Cayuga Nation Indian leader, a U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer, and a Thai princess. These individuals--rich, poor, and in between--have made significant contributions or simply made the village an interesting and unique place to live.
Thousands have called Cayuga Heights home, whether for their entire lives, or for a sabbatical year. Children have grown up here, moved away and put down roots around the world; others have returned to raise families. All of us create the story of the Heights, and through these highlighted homes and their residents, we hope to preserve some of these memories.
Thousands have called Cayuga Heights home, whether for their entire lives, or for a sabbatical year. Children have grown up here, moved away and put down roots around the world; others have returned to raise families. All of us create the story of the Heights, and through these highlighted homes and their residents, we hope to preserve some of these memories.
Click on the photos below to take a visual tour of individual village homes, buildings, organizations, and natural areas. We hope that these house and place histories will inspire you to add your story of living in the village.
Nineteenth Century Foundations Survive Across the Centuries
In the 1800s, the Cradit, Manning, LaBar, Hanshaw, Kline, and Bush families farmed in what would later become the Village of Cayuga Heights. The land was suited to dairy and sheep farming, and farmers also grew corn, wheat, and oats.
Though no longer an agricultural area, Cayuga Heights is home to some of the original nineteenth-century structures. Click on the photos below to read about sites that are our heritage from the agricultural community that thrived on the Heights before the village was incorporated.
Though no longer an agricultural area, Cayuga Heights is home to some of the original nineteenth-century structures. Click on the photos below to read about sites that are our heritage from the agricultural community that thrived on the Heights before the village was incorporated.
Newman and Blood Lay Out a Suburb
In the early 1900s, developers Jared Treman Newman (1855-1937) and Charles Hazen Blood (1866-1938) bought almost 1,000 acres of farmland and laid out roads and home lots in the new development of Cayuga Heights. Deed restrictions provided for setbacks to maintain the open feel of the village. Other restrictions on buildings sites sought to maintain the beautiful lake and valley views.
Click on the house photos below to read about the first residents who built their homes in the new suburb. The residences spanned a range of architectural styles.
Newman and Blood envisioned Cayuga Heights with a full range of suburban amenities, including electric trolley service and later a bus route. Jared and Jane Newman donated land for a park and arranged for property to be deeded for a district school.
Click on the photos below to read about the evolution of transportation, education, and leisure activities in the village.
Click on the photos below to read about the evolution of transportation, education, and leisure activities in the village.
The Village during World War I and the Great Depression
On June 12, 1915, the Village of Cayuga Heights was incorporated within the Town of Ithaca, abutting the City of Ithaca line at the northern edge of the Cornell campus. Challenging years followed incorporation. World War I brought higher building material costs and scarce labor. After World War I, women won the right to vote but still faced challenges in the workplace. Their broadened roles were reflected in the architecture of village homes. During the 1930s, the financial challenges of the Depression changed the course of village development.
Click on the photos at right to read about the opportunities and challenges faced by village residents as the suburb grew through the 1930s.
The War Years and After: Expansion and Accelerated Development
Village residents played significant roles in World War II as soldiers and volunteers. Cornell physicists took part in the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb. Following the war, residential and commercial development accelerated. Student activism and the civil rights movement affected the fabric of village life. Click on the photos below to learn how developments in the 1940s and 1950s shaped the village into the vibrant community it is today.
This house history tour is based on the "Highlights of the Heights", 2013, by Carole Schiffman, Village Preservationist.