Beebe-Halsey House

This former residence is one of the oldest still standing in Ithaca. It was built in 1820 by Jeremiah Beebe, a prominent banker and one of three partners who built the Clinton House at 120 N. Cayuga Street. In 1850 the house was sold to William Halsey, who added the rear service wing. Halsey’s daughter, organist of the First Presbyterian Church for 35 years, lived in the house until 1971. A fine example of a Federal-style detached town house, the Halsey House features a narrow, three-bay façade, restrained classical ornamentation with decorative detail concentrated at the entrance, and a fanlight over the door. The flush-boarded façade, intended to resemble stone masonry, is a special feature seen on Federal-style examples. Flushboards are horizontal boards placed edge to edge, creating a smooth surface considered more elegant than clapboarding.

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