Archive: Around Town

This year’s award-winning projects include the historic 1854 Old Courthouse, the Argos Inn, a Cornell University sorority house, an 1890s carriage house, and two private residences. The winner of the second annual Joseph O. Ciaschi Preservation Excellence Award is Rick Lazarus, a champion for the preservation of older buildings and structures throughout Tompkins County and regionally.


“We are very excited about this year’s awardees and their dedication to restoring historic properties,” says executive director Alphonse Pieper. “Several buildings have been brought back to life from disrepair or hard use, and they can now contribute more to the vibrancy of their neighborhoods. These buildings also will see another 100 years of life as a result of some incredible craftsmanship and skilled talent in our area.”

Recipients of Historic Ithaca’s 2014 Preservation Awards are:

• Avi Smith for the historic renovation of the Argos Inn at 408 E. State St., which has restored and showcased the building’s wood, stone, plaster, brick, and glass details, while also gaining LEED certification.
• Rosetree Properties, including Eric Rosario, David Halpert, Neha Khanna and Teresa Halpert Deschanes, for restoring and rejuvenating 420 E. State St., a five-bedroom single-family home in the East Hill Historic District.  The Queen-Anne style downtown Ithaca residence was constructed in 1889.
• Holt Architects for repurposing the interior of the historic 1854 Old Courthouse to become the permanent home of the Tompkins County Legislature, combining historic preservation with significant technological upgrades for lighting and multimedia communications technology.The new Tompkins County Legislature Chambers and Tompkins County’s Old Courthouse, on Ithaca’s historic downtown DeWitt Park, is the oldest Gothic Revival Courthouse in New York State. In 1971 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places after Historic Ithaca played an instrumental role in preserving the building and saving it from demolition.
• Zac Boggs and Isabel Fernández, with Noah Demarest and project advisor Frederic Bouche, for rehabilitating and transforming 201 W. Clinton Street, the former offices of the American Red Cross Tompkins County Chapter, into a family residence in the City of Ithaca’s Henry St. John Historic District
• Seth Brewster and Rick Lazarus for the rehabilitation of Barbara Page’s 1890s carriage house at 41 Prospect St. in Trumansburg.
• V. Romanoff & Associates for restoring five exterior columns to Kappa Alpha Theta’s Iota House at 519 Stewart Avenue. Kapa Alpha Theta is a sorority chapter house at Cornell University. Benchmark Builders fabricated custom-built columns to match the building’s original columns, first constructed in 1900.

Ciasci award-winner Rick Lazarus is the owner of Lazarus & Co. During his career as a preservationist he has restored and rehabilitated hundreds of buildings and structures, including the city of Ithaca’s Clinton House and the Boardman House, and has specialized in barn restoration work.

Historic Ithaca board member Charles Pomada says, “Rick is a preservationist in every project he undertakes. He keeps in mind best practices and takes pains to use traditional and local materials. He is dedicated to agricultural history.”


The award is named in memory of Joseph Ciaschi, who saved landmark buildings and transformed them into viable businesses. During his lifetime he received four Historic Ithaca Preservation Awards in recognition of his role in saving the Lehigh Valley Railroad Station, the Lehigh Valley House, the Boardman House, the Clinton House, and the State Theatre.

Historic Ithaca’s Preservation Awards Ceremony takes place Thursday, May 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at La Tourelle, 1150 Danby Rd.

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