After challenging start, Library Place providing downtown homes for Ithaca’s maturing residents

Library Place, 66 apartment units in a new four-story building on Court Street in Ithaca, finally opened its doors recently after years of demolition and construction. Concluding a complex project that began back in 2013, the building is ready to provide safe and modern housing for the area’s ever-growing 55-and-older population.

A New Home

Bill and Phyllis Highland have never been the type to settle down in the suburbs. The couple, ages 75 and 74, respectively, much prefer the lively atmosphere of the city. They moved to Ithaca in 1986 and raised their son in their Cape Cod-style house, where they lived for 30 years, until recently, when they decided to downsize to a more manageable, smaller living situation.

On a recent afternoon, sitting by the fire in one of Library Place’s show apartments,  the couple said they are happy to be living within walking distance of downtown. (The Highlands, having just moved in Dec. 6 and busy with the holidays, have yet to completely settle in.)

After Phyllis received a life-changing medical diagnosis, the couple began thinking about finding a new home.

“Just before the pandemic I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s,” she said. “We were walking in Fall Creek one afternoon in late 2019 — just walking and talking, coming to terms with what was going on in our lives and having this Cape Cod-style house we adored that was not going to fit our long-term needs.”

The new apartments have subtle safety features that make a big difference for older people’s safety, said Kelsey Reed, Library Place asset manager.

“It has grab rails, larger doors, lower counters,” Reed said.

The hallways on each floor are decorated to represent a different season. “The floors being different colors are for memory recognition purposes,” Reed said. Residents can remember they live on the red floor, for example, or the blue one.

Every shower has grab bars, a fold-down seat, and a lipless entry to reduce the risk of falls. When the Highlands needed a new home, these features made Library Place an appealing option.

“We have only one child, so it was easier for us to do some downsizing, rather than depending on him and his wife, and we thought it would take a load off of everyone’s mind,” Phyllis said.

They came across some publicity about Library Place and “liked the way that it sounded,” Phyllis said. “It was more positive-thinking, in terms of the other alternatives here in Ithaca. This had a positive emphasis.”

“We didn’t want to be on the edge of the suburbs,” Bill added. “We wanted to be part of it, and to see young people and old people, the whole gambit.”

They joined the waiting list for Library Place, and while they waited for the building to be move-in ready, Travis Hyde Realty helped them find an apartment in another one of their downtown apartment buildings, Gateway Commons.

For the Highlands, Library Place is the right fit. There are no annual leases or upfront fees, in case they need to move unexpectedly at some point. They don’t have to pay for services they may not use or need, such as prepared meals.

What do they like about Library Place, since moving in on Dec. 6?

“I’m enjoying what I thought I would,” Highland said. “Getting coffee, the views.”

“The view from the fourth floor is great,” Bill agreed. “You feel like you’re in the center of things, but you’re up above, and it’s quiet and private as you want it to be.”

Reed, who was sitting in on the conversation, said this is probably because the whole building is double-sheetrocked just for that reason.

The Highlands said they are looking forward to spending time on the balcony when the weather is warmer.

“Yeah, we have a nice balcony,” said Bill. “It’s pretty big.”

The building is designed to invite interaction among the residents. There are common rooms on every floor and a large lobby with a seating area filled with books, a nod to the old library.

“I’ve seen a lot of good ones on the shelves,” Bill said.

The building also features a warming pool with an automatic chair lift, a gym and a large room for events on the first floor. Two established local businesses — Rasa Spa and The Rook restaurant — will be moving in in the near future. The spa is expected to move in by the end of January, according to Travis, and The Rook will be relocating in the late spring/early summer.

The Rook will nearly double its seating space after the move.

Lifelong, an organization with the mission to enhance the lives of older adults in Tompkins County, is conveniently located right next door, offering social groups and classes in a wide range of subjects.

A Long Road, But Worth the Wait

For Travis Hyde and HOLT Architects, the project was an undertaking of more than 10 years, full of challenges, design changes and setbacks.

The old library building was owned by Tompkins County, and the county vetted many proposals from multiple developers before settling on Travis Hyde. Ultimately, the old building was demolished to make way for the new one.

“The building was really a liability to the county,” Travis said. “The roof leaked, and it had a lot of problems. We explored the possibility of adaptive reuse, but in this instance the best path was just to tear down the building.”

This left Travis Hyde with the challenge of constructing a state-of-the-art apartment complex that would blend in with the historic buildings around it, including the First Presbyterian Church across the street.

“We felt strongly that it needed to speak to the surroundings, the historic fabric of the neighborhood,” Travis said.

The project started out smaller, with just 30 units in the original plan, but grew to the 66-unit building that stands today. Travis said that on the advice of others, including project collaborator Elizabeth Ambrose, founder and proprietor of senior care facility Bridges Cornell Heights, he realized the building would have to be larger to be profitable.

But the increased height caused other design challenges, Travis said, as the Ithaca Landmarks Commission and Ithaca City Planning Board felt strongly that it should not have the appearance of looming over pedestrians on the sidewalk. The exterior got pushed back here and there to accommodate the sidewalk, with the result being a unique building with 26 different apartment layouts. They range in price from $2,545 per month for a 527-square-foot one-bedroom to $5,935 for the largest apartment, which has three bedrooms and two baths and is 1,187 square feet.

There was creative reuse of the old building’s foundation. The basement, which was sunk about half a level into the ground, was turned into parking for tenants, according to Graham Gillespie, who was with HOLT for 35 years and retired in 2020.

Though the building was demolished, the new construction pays homage to the library. Perhaps the most striking feature when entering the building is the built-in bookshelves that reach all the way to the lobby’s high ceilings.

“We went to the [Tompkins County Public] library for books,” Travis said. “I canceled our regular staff meeting, and everyone came down to the [Friends of the Library book] sale and we loaded up a truck with books, and that was a lot of fun.”

“Another playful design element is the balcony railings, which were laser cut and intended to resemble a stack of books,” Travis added. “It feels a bit like a library and is a dignified presence in the neighborhood, I think.”

Travis said he chose to pursue construction of a 55-year-old-plus community because of Ithaca’s demographics and market demand. “There is such a big cohort of seniors,” he said. “The first baby boomers turned 70 in 2021, which was my original target date for opening.”

After years of planning, the construction phase ended up taking much longer than expected. The project was ongoing for so long that no one currently on staff at HOLT was on the project when it began in 2013.

“It was COVID,” Gillespie said of the delays. “The supply chain was just crazy. It affected everything.” HOLT had a hard time purchasing items like appliances for the units.

“It blew up everybody’s financing,” Gillespie added. “So it was a testament to everybody’s fortitude they were able to see it through. I knew it was going to be a beautiful building. It was just, ‘Can we get there?’”

Charlie Ackerman, HOLT director of construction administration, said he is proud to see the finished product and enjoyed seeing people’s reactions at the recent grand opening.

“It was well received by everybody,” Ackerman said. “People were marveling at how nice it looked.”

One of Ackerman’s favorite aspects of the building is the central courtyard. “It’s sort of visible from the outside at street level, enough to get a glimpse but not enough to really see in. I think that’s a really cool feature.”

“I was just so pleased and so relieved [the building] made it to the finish line,” said Travis, “and really pleased we have this structure that contributes a lot to the community.”