309, 313, 317, and 319 East Court Street

These Italianate houses on East Court Street were built between 1871 and 1873 on property owned by Joseph Lyons.

Characteristic Italianate features include the tall, narrow windows capped by round arches and/or bracketed architraves; the wide, overhanging eaves; and particularly the decorative brackets supporting them. The Italianate style was popular between 1840 and 1885.

The cupola on 309 East Court Street is also characteristic, as are the low-pitched roofs on three of the houses.

The house at 313 East Court Street combines a mansard roof with Italianate features and is a good example of the Second Empire style. The style was derived from the French architecture during the reign of Louis Napoleon and was popular in the United States from 1860 to 1880.

The houses at 317 and 319 East Court Street were built on speculation by Lyons and sold at auction. The home at 313 East Court Street was built for John E. Van Natta, a carpenter.

Source: Historic Ithaca, Inc.

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