Historic Ithaca celebrated the completion of the Cascadilla Boathouse Restoration Project, in Stewart Park on Thursday, October 21, 2021. The project was funded by a New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Environmental Protection Fund grant, awarded to Historic Ithaca and to the City of Ithaca. The $367,172 grant was awarded in December 2018 by the New York State Legislature and the office of the Governor and matched by the city’s Capital fund. The c. 1896 National Register of Historic Places Shingle-style building has undergone an extensive exterior restoration.
City of Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick kicked off the celebration and said, “This project is the result of a successful public/private partnership between the City of Ithaca and Friends of Stewart Park, and a collaboration with local nonprofit Historic Ithaca, which wrote the application that led to the tremendous support from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. The City of Ithaca is gratified to have played a role in the restoration of this beautiful and historic building that plays such a prominent role in Stewart Park.”
This project came at an exciting time as Stewart Park celebrates its 100th anniversary as a city park. Diana Riesman, Friends of Stewart Park Board President and Executive Director of Wharton Studio Museum, offered these remarks, “The Cascadilla Boathouse is one of Ithaca’s and the region’s most beautiful historic buildings. This restoration is significant, not only for the longevity of the building, but also because of its prominent role within Stewart Park.”
The architects, Bero Architecture of Rochester, New York were chosen in early March 2020, as the pandemic began. While there were questions about the project’s viability at that time, the project partners persevered, ending with only a 30-day extension due to slowdowns in supply chains and a serious mix of bad weather during summer 2021.
The successful local team was led by Bouley Associates as the general contractor; Verdigree Collective as the carpentry subcontractor; other subcontractors were Cook Painting and Northernscapes Lawn and Landscape Services. Trowbridge Wolf Michaels Landscape Architects were also part of the team. The City of Ithaca’s Department of Public Works and the Parks and Forestry Division plus the Landmarks Preservation Commission played large roles in the success of this project. Friends of Stewart Park, Wharton Studio Museum, and the Cascadilla Boat Club rounded out the team.
Susan Holland, Executive Director for Historic Ithaca, said “the connections we made on this project to each other and to the project itself sustained many of us during an isolating time in our history. We had bi-weekly site meetings, led by Jennifer Aherns of Bero Architecture, with the crews working together daily and with Jeanne Grace, Rob Lilley and the City’s team always at the ready. This building has now been present for two pandemics-1918 and 2020-and we’ve hopefully secured its future for another 100 years.”
The exterior restoration had five main parts: replacement and repair of key architectural elements, the shingle siding; correct painting scheme for a Shingle-style building; significant carpentry repairs to the northwest and northeast corner framing members on the veranda; repointing the deteriorated corner of the crawlspace basement foundation and adding refreshed decking; and making the restrooms ADA-compliant. Other repairs occurred to the doors, windows, and landscaping.
A 46% Women Business Enterprise (WBE) was also realized for the grant and for the NYS requirements.
“I’d like to think the collaborative nature of our public-private project contributed to its success,” Susan Holland stated. “Going forward, we’re excited to work towards all the buildings in Stewart Park.”
The Cascadilla Boathouse was designed by Clifton Vivian and Arthur Gibb, proteges of William Henry Miller, one of Ithaca’s most iconic architects in the late 19th and early 20th century. The boathouse was originally the recreation and boating facility for the Cascadilla School, a preparatory school still in operation today. When Stewart Park was purchased by the City of Ithaca in 1921, the Boathouse was incorporated into the plan. Today, it houses the Cascadilla Boat Club and the Ithaca Youth Bureau. The roof was repaired in 2015 and a study outlining the restoration work of all park buildings was commissioned by the City of Ithaca and the Friends of Stewart Park in 2015.
