Roberts Hall
Why it's listed
Roberts Hall is a four-story masonry building on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, built in 1905-07 as the Main, or Administration, Building of the new New York State College of Agriculture. It forms the center of a three-part group joined by loggias to Stone and East Roberts Halls. State Architect George L. Heins designed the group, and Morris Kantrowitz built it. Rock-faced sandstone, iron-spot and buff brick, terra cotta and limestone give the exterior varied texture, while the south entrance carries Beaux-Arts ornament, including a medallion of Ezra Cornell and a sculpted state seal. Inside, an open iron central stairwell rises through all floors. The hall originally held classrooms, laboratories, offices, a library and a 600-seat assembly room, and it was named in 1914 for Isaac P. Roberts, an early agriculture director. It matters as part of the college's first buildings and as a little-altered work by Heins. Later changes include a slate roof replaced with asphalt shingles in 1977.
Significance in brief: It is significant as one of the first buildings constructed for the new New York State College of Agriculture at Cornell. Its design mixes traditional motifs with a practical character suited to a public agricultural education program. It is also an essentially unaltered example of the work of State Architect George L. Heins.
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 84003191, listed September 24, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Cornell University campus, Ithaca |
|---|---|
| County | Tompkins County |
| Listed | September 24, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003191 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | George L. Heins, State Architect; builder Morris Kantrowitz |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts eclecticism, with Renaissance and Classical decorative elements |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In use for classrooms, offices and labs, as it was originally; condition rated fair. A threat of proposed demolition is marked on the inventory form. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.44871, -76.47857 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 84003191.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7352015
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.