Stone Hall
Why it's listed
Stone Hall is a brick and stone building on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, built in 1905-07 as the Agronomy Building. State Architect George L. Heins designed it, and Morris Kantrowitz was the builder. It forms the western unit of a three-building group with Roberts Hall and East Roberts, joined to Roberts Hall by a loggia. Legislative limits on spending for a single building led to the three-part scheme. The hall is five bays wide and nine bays long, with a nearly full-height basement, two main stories and a third story under a gable-on-hipped roof. Its walls combine sandstone, iron-spot and buff brick, terra cotta and limestone. The west facade has a distinctive projecting center pavilion with a blind balcony. The building is named for John L. Stone, an early agronomy professor. It reflects the state's investment in agricultural education and Heins's work as State Architect. Today it houses offices, laboratories and classrooms.
Significance in brief: It is an essential part of the three-building Roberts Hall complex built for the newly established New York State College of Agriculture. The complex reflected the state's commitment to agricultural education. It is also a work of George L. Heins, New York's first State Architect, and its eclectic Beaux-Arts detailing is notable.
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 84003860, listed September 24, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Cornell University campus, Ithaca |
|---|---|
| County | Tompkins County |
| Listed | September 24, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003860 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | George L. Heins, State Architect; builder Morris Kantrowitz |
| Architectural style | Eclectic Beaux-Arts esthetic, mixing Renaissance and Classical elements with Arts and Crafts-style exposed rafters |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In present use for administrative offices, laboratories and classrooms; condition listed as fair, with a proposed demolition noted as a threat. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.44856, -76.47923 (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 84003860.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7618943
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.