Tompkins Street Historic District

Tompkins Street in Cortland, New York, anchors a district of about 49 structures running from Main Street to the Cortland Rural Cemetery. Quiet residences line the street, ranging from simple frame houses to the mansions of leading families, in styles from Italian-inspired to shingle style. The oldest house, built in 1808 and rebuilt in 1916, dates to the organization of Cortland County. On Main Street, three-story brick commercial blocks from the later nineteenth century include mansard-roofed and flat-roofed examples. The district reflects Cortland's growth after the county seat was chosen in 1810. Early construction on the street came with the Randall merchant family, whose stores dominated local trade for decades. After the Civil War, banks and vehicle manufacturing brought wealthy businessmen, who replaced older houses with larger homes. Manufacturers of wire cloth, the Fitzgerald-Wickwire family, were among them. Together the buildings show the village's change from a rural settlement to an industrial center.