The Wanzer Block

Completed in 1905, the Wanzer Block is a keystone in the history of Ithaca's downtown development. The two sides of the block were built earlier (1865 for the Aurora Street side, and 1888 for the State Street side) than the corner parcel joining them together. For much of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the ground floor held Wanzer & Howell Grocers, Ithaca's primary grocery store.

Ithaca architect Arthur N. Gibb designed the middle building and made a few key changes to the other buildings to achieve some architectural unity. He added a fourth floor to the Aurora building and extended the cornice line of the State Street building across the top of the other two.