{"nrhp_refnum":"71000561","name":"De Witt Park Historic District","other_names":["Public Square","See Also:Boardman House","Second Tompkins County"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"A square bounded roughly by properties fronting on E. Buffalo, E. Court, N. Cayuga, and N. Tioga Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ithaca","county":"Tompkins County","state":"NY","lat":42.44174964350006,"lon":-76.49782761142589,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-10-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A downtown historic district in Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, of about 18 acres. It centers on DeWitt Park, the former Public Square, and includes surrounding blocks along Cayuga, Tioga, Court and Buffalo Streets, developed from the early 1800s by Simeon DeWitt.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the district offers visual richness, architectural variety and urban unity that enhance downtown Ithaca. It is also presented as a good example of planning within an existing framework, with new buildings and adaptive reuse. The district contains the old Tompkins County Court House, early bank and residential buildings, and works by architect William Henry Miller.","narrative":"DeWitt Park Historic District occupies the city block around DeWitt Park in downtown Ithaca, plus parts of surrounding blocks along North Cayuga, North Tioga, Court and Buffalo Streets. The park began as the town's Public Square, and the area was laid out by Ithaca's founder, Simeon DeWitt, in the early 1800s. Today the district mixes government, educational, professional, religious and residential uses, with mostly 19th and early 20th century eclectic architecture. Notable buildings include the Old Tompkins County Court House, described as the oldest surviving Gothic Revival courthouse in New York State, the 1820s Bank of Newburgh, the Williams-Fisher House, the Romanesque First Presbyterian and First Baptist churches, and the 1912 DeWitt Junior High School by William Henry Miller. Two modern buildings, the public library and a savings and loan office, were designed to suit their surroundings. Many houses became offices with little exterior change. The district covers roughly 18 acres.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"William Henry Miller (DeWitt Junior High School, 1912; First Baptist Church, 1890); John F. Maurice (Old Court House); J. Cleveland Cady (First Presbyterian Church); Simeon DeWitt (developer)","architectural_style":"Predominantly 19th and early 20th century eclectic, including Gothic Revival, Romanesque and Greek Revival buildings","criteria":[],"status_note":"Mixed-use area of government, educational, professional, religious and residential functions; condition marked excellent, good and fair. Many private houses have been converted to professional offices.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.641263-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/71000561.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000561/b4d848ce8a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000561/b4d848ce8a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"renatoppl","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:De_Witt_Park_Historic_District_2012-09-02_18-13-33.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">renatoppl</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:De_Witt_Park_Historic_District_2012-09-02_18-13-33.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322481","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Witt_Park_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14706235"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/tompkins-county/de-witt-park-historic-district-71000561/"}