Design details unveiled for new Center of Government

After decades of discussion leading up to the eventual reveal of a solid plan, HOLT Architects unveiled concrete aspects of its vision for a new public building in downtown Ithaca.

The design chosen for the new Tompkins County Center of Government features a flat roof, columns, a light tan and brick exterior, and the name of each Tompkins County town in black lettering above the building’s overhang.

The plans are still not final, however; the county is looking for further feedback in its third public survey, which can be filled out on the county website until Dec. 31. This latest survey asks residents for their opinion on HOLT’s site design and its current designs for the interior and exterior of the future government hub.

The project’s current total value sits at around $64,000,000. This estimate, released earlier this month, includes remediation and demolition of current buildings, new building construction and the renovation of the county’s Old Jail and Courthouse buildings.

The county’s goal is to finish the building by September 2029. The proposed facility would replace the existing buildings at 300 and 308 North Tioga St. and at 128 East Buffalo St., all of which will be demolished as part of the project. The new 48,000-square-foot building would house most Tompkins County departments. 

This last town hall meeting comes after a series of initial town halls held in five locations — Groton, Dryden, Enfield, Caroline and Ithaca — last June. After collecting data from those meetings and from a survey that was extended to the public by the county, there was a second town hall meeting in July, during which the architects presented multiple design options with the goal of comparing the different styles and capturing preferences and feedback from county residents.

“We got a number of great stories illustrating some of the current challenges that the community faced relative to getting access to services and even sort of knowing where to go to collect services,” said A. Quay Thompson, HOLT Architects principal.  

“We shared three different options for different ways that the building could go, in terms of its development, and then, based on your feedback from that meeting, we sort of focused on a single option,” Thompson said.

“Since meeting number two, when we started focusing on a single option, we spent a lot of time working with the different users of this building,” Thompson added.

“We want to share with you where we are with the building,” he said. “We’re about halfway through the design in terms of the big schedule, but as we design more, things get harder and more expensive to change.”

Selecting a downtown Ithaca location

In February 2022 the county took ownership of the two properties on the 300 block of North Tioga Street adjacent to the Tompkins County courthouse.

When the legislature began discussing the Center of Government building, it identified three primary criteria for locating the county’s Center of Government, according to HOLT’s recent presentation. They were proximity to the existing county campus, availability of parking and allowable use under current zoning.

HOLT said that other locations were considered, including The Shops at Ithaca Mall, Harold Square and the Cornell Business Park, but they did not meet all of the county’s criteria. The mall would pull activity away from the county’s civic center and would require a redesign of the retail space. Harold Square could pose ADA accessibility and public access challenges due to its multistory condo layout and location on the Ithaca Commons. The Cornell Business Park is not owned by the county, creating long-term uncertainty, and cannot support a single-building, one-stop center.

With none of the other locations meeting the county’s standards, the 59,000-square-foot county-owned property downtown was ultimately deemed the best location for the project. Among its advantages, HOLT said, is the ability to construct a purpose-built, fully integrated, one-stop government center at a downtown location, with the potential to receive a $5 million grant.

What the public said about the designs

Of the four exterior design options that were put to vote by the public, 58% of the 167 respondents said they liked the one dubbed “historic proportions with contemporary materials” the best. The next most popular choice was the “historic civic” design (25%), with the “traditional commercial” option receiving just two votes.

Survey takers described the winning concept as welcoming and functional while maintaining a traditional, historic character. They noted the stepped-back top floor, wide front steps and abundance of windows as positive characteristics of the design.

Design elements of the current plans 

Plans for the interior currently include a color palette with warm wood and natural greens that “reflect the forests that surround the community,” according to HOLT’s PowerPoint presentation. Layered stone textures and organic curves would “embody the rhythm of waterfalls and stone cliffs.” The list of interior materials includes limestone, wood grille and glass and light diffusers to create soft and organic arranged lighting elements.

The design features one-stop access for community transactions, a wall display with the history of the county, waiting areas with comfortable seating and information kiosks that would provide forms and showcase upcoming events.

Sustainability at the forefront

The sustainability vision for the project places emphasis on the elimination of on-site fossil fuels by designing an all-electric building. By using geothermal heating and cooling for long-term carbon and cost savings, the project’s preliminary energy modeling has a target energy reduction of 44%, which equates to an energy savings of $34,000 per year, according to HOLT.

The project also prioritizes the use of low-embodied-carbon materials such as mass timber, recycled content and low-carbon concrete. HOLT said that the building will be designed to meet United States LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold standards.

The current public survey, as well as more details about the Center of Government project, can be found at tompkinscountyny.gov/About/Center-of-Government.