De Witt Park Historic District

Last updated

De Witt Park Historic District
DeWitt Park, Ithaca, New York.jpg
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
De Witt Park Historic District
Interactive map showing the location of De Witt Park Historic District
LocationA square bounded roughly by properties fronting on E. Buffalo, E. Court, N. Cayuga, and N. Tioga Sts., Ithaca, New York
Coordinates 42°26′30″N76°29′53″W / 42.44167°N 76.49806°W / 42.44167; -76.49806
Area18 acres (7.3 ha)
Built1800
ArchitectMultiple
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Italianate, Romanesque
NRHP reference No. 71000561 [1]
Added to NRHPOctober 26, 1971

De Witt Park Historic District is a national historic district located at Ithaca in Tompkins County, New York. The district consists of 45 contributing buildings, one contributing site (De Witt Park, known as Town Square until 1869), and three contributing objects. It includes the area developed by the town's founder, Simon De Witt, in the early 19th century. The district includes the separately listed Boardman House and Second Tompkins County Courthouse. [2]

Contents

Background

The district is a major crossroads in Ithaca, and contains a wide variety of architectural styles and cultural, social, educational, political and religious functions. [3]

Concern for preservation of the neighborhood was a motivating factor behind Ithaca's passage of a local Landmarks Preservation Ordinance in 1971. [4] Dewitt Park was Ithaca's first designated local historic district in 1971. [4] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the same year. [1]

DeWitt Park

DeWitt Park is owned by the Presbyterian Church on North Cayuga Street. [5] The church congregation purchased the land from Simeon DeWitt on August 1, 1815, for the sum of $499.65. [5] The church specifically set the land aside for public enjoyment, rather than as a graveyard, which would have been more typical of the day. [5] In 1856 the church came to an agreement with the Village of Ithaca that the church would retain ownership of the park, while the village would be responsible for maintaining it. [5] For many years DeWitt Park was a meetings spot for student of the nearby Ithaca Conservatory (later Ithaca College), [5] located in the adjacent Boardman House

Frederick Douglass, prevented from speaking in any of the local churches or the Village Hall, twice delivered orations in the park. [5] [6]

Following the murder of Shawn Greenwood by the Ithaca Police Department on Feb. 23 2010, [7] members of the Ithaca community have renamed DeWitt Park to Shawn Greenwood Park. The new name aims to remember Shawn Greenwood, an African-American man who grew up in Ithaca, [7] and end the recognition of Simeon De Witt, a former slave owner. [8]

Significant properties

DeWitt Mall DeWitt Mall Ithaca NY.jpg
DeWitt Mall
First Presbyterian Church (1901) First Presbyterian Church, Ithaca NY.jpg
First Presbyterian Church (1901)

Two later buildings, the Public Library and Ithaca Savings and Loan Association were designed in a style to be harmonious with the historical character of the neighborhood. [3]

Related Research Articles

Ithaca is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named after the Greek island of Ithaca. As of 2020, the city's population was 32,108.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trumansburg, New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Trumansburg is a village in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 1,797 at the 2010 census. The name incorporates a misspelling of the surname of the founder, Abner Treman. The Tremans spelled their surname several different ways; "Truman," however, was not one of them. The village's application for a post office established the present spelling. The Village of Trumansburg is located within the Town of Ulysses and is northwest of Ithaca, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taughannock Falls State Park</span> State park in New York state, United States

Taughannock Falls State Park is a 750-acre (3.0 km2) state park located in the town of Ulysses in Tompkins County, New York in the United States. The park is northwest of Ithaca near Trumansburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert H. Treman State Park</span> State park in New York, United States

Robert H. Treman State Park is a 1,110-acre (4.5 km2) state park located in Tompkins County, in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. The park is situated in the towns of Ithaca, Enfield and Newfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinton House (Ithaca, New York)</span> Historic commercial building in New York, United States

The Clinton House is a historic building located in downtown Ithaca, New York. It is built primarily in the Greek Revival style, common in older buildings in Ithaca. It currently houses offices and a local charter school. It is directly adjacent to the Ithaca Commons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Orleans County, New York</span> List of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places

This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Orleans County, New York. The locations of National Register properties and districts may be seen in a map by clicking on "Map of all coordinates". Two listings, the New York State Barge Canal and the Cobblestone Historic District, are further designated a National Historic Landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salem Downtown Historic District (Salem, Indiana)</span> Historic district in Indiana, United States

The Salem Downtown Historic District is a national historic district located at Salem, Washington County, Indiana. The original plat of the town, founded in 1814, is within the district. It is bounded by Mulberry and Hackberry Street in the north, Hayes Street in the east, the CSX railroad tracks in the south, and Brock Creek to the west. It encompasses 253 contributing buildings, 3 contributing structures, and 5 contributing objects in the central business district of Salem. The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Its architectural styles are Italianate, Gothic Revival, Classical Revival, Late Victorian, Early Republic, and Late 19th/20th Century Revivals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sycamore Historic District</span> Historic district in Sycamore, Illinois, USA

The Sycamore Historic District is a meandering area encompassing 99 acres (400,000 m2) of the land in and around the downtown of the DeKalb County, Illinois county seat, Sycamore. The area includes historic buildings and a number of historical and Victorian homes. Some significant structures are among those located within the Historic District including the DeKalb County Courthouse and the Sycamore Public Library. The district has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 2, 1978.

The historic village of Aurora, Cayuga County, New York, rises on a hill above the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake. The village was named by Captain Benjamin Ledyard, who settled there in 1793, in the post-Revolutionary development of the Finger Lakes region. Up until the mid-nineteenth century, Aurora played an important part in the history of Central New York.

William Henry Miller (1848–1922) was an American architect based in Ithaca, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orleans County Courthouse Historic District</span> Historic district in New York, United States

The Orleans County Courthouse Historic District is one of two located in downtown Albion, New York, United States. Centered on Courthouse Square, it includes many significant buildings in the village, such as its post office and churches from seven different denominations, one of which is the tallest structure in the county. Many buildings are the work of local architect William V.N. Barlow, with contributions from Solon Spencer Beman and Andrew Jackson Warner. They run the range of architectural styles from the era in which the district developed, from Federal to Colonial Revival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayt's Chapel and Schoolhouse</span> United States historic place

Hayt's Chapel and Schoolhouse consists of a historic church and a historic school building located at Ithaca in Tompkins County, New York. The chapel is a small rectangular frame gable roofed structure constructed in 1847 and measuring approximately 20 feet by 40 feet. The structure features a number of Gothic Revival details. There is a small entrance vestibule added sometime in the 1930s or 1940s when the building was converted for school use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Tompkins County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

Second Tompkins County Courthouse, also known as Old Courthouse, is a historic courthouse located at 121 E. Court Street in Ithaca in Tompkins County, New York. It is the oldest building still standing in the county. It is a two-story, 57 feet by 75 feet rectangular building with a three-story tower. The building is built of red brick, covered with stucco, over a stone foundation. The tower contains a belfry with a pointed arch opening on each of the four sides. It was built in 1854 and has a notable open timber roof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boardman House (Ithaca, New York)</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The Boardman House is a historic house located at 120 East Buffalo Street in Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York. It is part of the De Witt Park Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsborough Historic District</span> Historic district in North Carolina, United States

Hillsborough Historic District is a national historic district located at Hillsborough, Orange County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 529 contributing buildings, 9 contributing sites, 13 contributing structures, and 2 contributing objects in the central business district and surrounding residential sections of Hillsborough. The district includes buildings dating to the late-18th and early-20th century and includes notable examples of Federal, Greek Revival, and Italianate style architecture. Located in the district are the separately listed Burwell School, Eagle Lodge, Hazel-Nash House, Heartsease, Montrose, Nash Law Office, Nash-Hooper House, Old Orange County Courthouse, Poplar Hill, Ruffin-Roulhac House, Sans Souci, and St. Matthew's Episcopal Church and Churchyard. Other notable buildings include Seven Hearths, the Presbyterian Church (1815-1816), Methodist Church (1859-1860), First Baptist Church (1862-1870), Twin Chimneys, and the Berry Brick House.

Salisbury Historic District is a national historic district located at Salisbury, Rowan County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 348 contributing buildings and 1 contributing site in the central business district and surrounding residential sections of Salisbury. It includes notable examples of Late Victorian, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow / American Craftsman style architecture. Located in the district are the separately listed Maxwell Chambers House, McNeely-Strachan House, Archibald Henderson Law Office, and the former Rowan County Courthouse. Other notable buildings include the tower of the former First Presbyterian Church (1891-1893), Rowan County Courthouse (1914), Conrad Brem House, Kluttz's Drug Store, Bell Building, Washington Building, Grubb-Wallace Building, Hedrick Block, Empire Hotel, St. Luke's Episcopal Church (1827-1828), Soldiers Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church (1910-1913), U.S. Post Office and Courthouse (1909), City Hall (1926), Salisbury Fire House and City Building (1897).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plymouth Northside Historic District</span> Historic district in Indiana, United States

Plymouth Northside Historic District is a national historic district located at Plymouth, Marshall County, Indiana. The district encompasses 141 contributing buildings, 2 contributing sites, 6 contributing structures, and 3 contributing objects in a predominantly residential section of Plymouth. It developed between about 1870 and 1940, and includes examples of Italianate, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Neoclassical, and Renaissance Revival style architecture. Located in the district is the separately listed Marshall County Courthouse. Other notable contributing resources include Magnetic Park, First United Methodist Church (1914-1915), J.C. Capron House (1900), Samuel Schlosser House (1910-1911), Clay Metsker House (1917-1918), Plymouth Church of the Brethren (1950-1951), Logan-Stanley Fountain, Stevens House (1895), and First Presbyterian Church (1896-1897).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flemington Historic District</span> Historic district in New Jersey, United States

The Flemington Historic District is a historic district in the borough of Flemington in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. After evaluation by the state historic preservation office (SHPO), it was listed on New Jersey Register of Historic Places ) and the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1980, for its significance in architecture and politics/government. One has been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belvidere Historic District (Belvidere, New Jersey)</span> Historic district in New Jersey, United States

The Belvidere Historic District is a 132-acre (53 ha) historic district encompassing the town of Belvidere, the county seat of Warren County, New Jersey, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 3, 1980 for its significance in architecture, commerce, community planning, industry, politics and government during the 19th century. The district is bounded by Market and Race streets; Greenwich and Mansfield avenues; and the Pequest River. It contains 228 contributing buildings, including the Warren County Courthouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morristown District</span> United States historic place

The Morristown District, also known as the Morristown Historic District, is a historic district in the town of Morristown in Morris County, New Jersey. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 30, 1973, for its significance in architecture, communications, education, military, politics, religion, social history, and transportation.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Margaret Marriott (January 1971). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: De Witt Park Historic District". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation . Retrieved September 1, 2009.See also: "Accompanying 37 photos".
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "DeWitt Park Historic District". Living Places. The Gombach Group. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "50 for 50: The DeWitt Park Historic District". Historic Ithaca. Historic Ithaca. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kammen, Carol (August 15, 2014). "Pieces of the Past: DeWitt Park serves as public space". Ithaca Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  6. Hovis, Kathy (October 31, 2017). "Class creates app highlighting Underground Railroad sites". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Murtagh, Joseph (March 2, 2011). "Community members remember Shawn Greenwood". Ithaca.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  8. "Simeon De Witt". exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  9. "Dewitt Mall Turns 100 Years Old". Ithaca.com. Retrieved January 5, 2019. it was completed one hundred years ago in 1915
  10. "First Presbyterian Church". Pocket Sights. Retrieved January 5, 2019.