Forest Home Historic District
Why it's listed
Forest Home is a compact hamlet on both sides of Fall Creek, just east of Ithaca and Cornell University, and its core is preserved as a historic district. Originally called Free Hollow, it grew in the second quarter of the nineteenth century around mills powered by the creek, including grist, woolen, knitting and paper mills. Workers lived in small Federal and Greek Revival cottages, and several mill buildings were later converted to homes. Remains of the Empire and Red Grist Mills survive. As the mills declined by the 1890s, the hamlet became a favored home for Cornell agricultural college professors, and dozens of Queen Anne and Colonial Revival style houses went up, many built by contractor William McElwee, Sr. The district also includes the 1915 Forest Home Chapel, a 1921 school, bridges dating from 1904 and 1909, the stone-clad Sackett Bridge, and a 1913 concrete dam. In all, 81 resources contribute to its character.
Significance in brief: The district recalls Forest Home's heyday as a water-powered mill hamlet through surviving Federal and Greek Revival dwellings, converted mill buildings and archeological remains of grist mills. It also documents the hamlet's early 20th century transformation into a residential suburb for Cornell University faculty, shown in Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and bungalow houses, a chapel, a school, three bridges and a dam.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 98000999, listed August 6, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly along NY392, Forest Home |
|---|---|
| County | Tompkins County |
| Listed | August 6, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98000999 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | William McElwee, Sr. (local contractor who built many early 20th century houses) |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Queen Anne-Eastlake, Colonial Revival, Bungalow, and vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Industry, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still largely a residential enclave; the Forest Home Chapel is still used as a church and the former school serves as Cornell Plantations headquarters. |
| Acreage | 50 |
| Coordinates | 42.45178, -76.46902 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 98000999.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5468981
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.