106 E Court St

Tax assessment photograph taken in 1954 for government appraisal by Roy Wenzlick & Co.

Happy Preservation Month! Let's celebrate the rich history of our community by shining a spotlight on the Bank of Newburgh building. Originally located at 113 W. State Street on the site where the State Theater now stands, this building was built ca. 1820 by local carpenter and businessman Luther Gere as both a residence and a bank. It housed Ithaca's first bank, a branch of the Bank of Newburgh, named after the Hudson River town. The land was purchased for 10 cents from Simeon DeWitt.

The symmetrical five-bay facade with the side-gabled roof is a typical Federal design element, but the recessed doorway is a common Greek Revival feature, as is the central pediment. In 1912, several concerned citizens rescued the building from being torn down and arranged for it to be moved from West State Street to East Court Street.

Today, it serves as a professional office and is a proud part of Ithaca's expanded DeWitt Park Historic District. The Bank of Newburgh stands as a testament to our city's understanding of the importance of preserving our architectural treasures.

Don't forget to check out tompkins.historyforge.net to explore the history of the City of Ithaca, and parts of Tompkins County, in the late 19th and early 20th century.

A red pin marking the vacant lot where the discussed building was later relocated on the 1910 Sanborn Fire Insurance Atlas of Ithaca

A red pin marking the 1910 Sanborn Fire Insurance Atlas of Ithaca, the original location of the building, labeled as a 'Rescue Mission', which was later moved to 106 E Court St.

A red pin marking, the 1933 Aerial Photographs of Ithaca (City) the building in its current location shortly after it was moved from its original site.

This photograph is part of the General Photo File – Residences Collection of The History Center in Tompkins County