William Henry Sage House

603 E. Seneca Street, built in 1877-1878
William Henry Miller completed a series of houses for lumber magnate and Cornell trustee chairman Henry Williams Sage and his family. This building was the home of Sage's son, William Henry Sage, who was involved in the development of railroads in central New York State.

The house was built around 1878 and is basically Queen Anne in style, although the present third story--which was rebuilt in 1973 after the house was severely damaged by fire--does not do justice to the original. Surviving features include decorative brickwork, numerous elaborate chimneys, multiple projections including dormers, porches, bays, and varied fenestration. Among the more unusual features are the marble inset columns on the front façade, the carved birds and flowers on the capitals, the heavy stone lintel over the door and the decorative panel above it, and the stained glass windows. Inside the house, there is a tiled floor of Greek design and a fireplace made of mid-seventeenth century tiles decorated with Biblical scenes. The building was purchased by the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity in 1899 and converted to group housing.

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