Llenroc
Encyclopedia
Ezra Cornell
Ezra Cornell was an American businessman and education administrator. He was a founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University...
just below the campus of Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in Ithaca
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It now houses the Cornell chapter of the Delta Phi
Delta Phi
Delta Phi is a fraternity founded in 1827 at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Founded as part of the Union Triad, along with the Kappa Alpha Society and Sigma Phi Society, Delta Phi was the third and last member of the Triad...
fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
.
The House
Llenroc, or the villa of Ezra CornellEzra Cornell
Ezra Cornell was an American businessman and education administrator. He was a founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University...
, was constructed between 1865 and 1875. It is constructed of Llenroc limestone, hauled from a quarry just west of White Hall on Cornell University's campus. Artisans from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and other countries were brought in to help with stone and wood carvings. Eight complete marble fireplaces were also imported from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to be placed throughout the house. Sadly, Ezra Cornell
Ezra Cornell
Ezra Cornell was an American businessman and education administrator. He was a founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University...
did not get to live in his house, as he died in 1874. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1980.
Construction
According to The History of Llenroc and Pi Chapter, construction on Llenroc began in 1867. Ezra CornellEzra Cornell
Ezra Cornell was an American businessman and education administrator. He was a founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University...
hired an Albany firm, Nichols and Brown, to design the plan for the house, which borrowed heavily from rural Gothic Villa and High Victorian Gothic
High Victorian Gothic
High Victorian Gothic was an eclectic architectural style and movement during the mid-late 19th century. It is seen by architectural historians as either sub-style of the broader Gothic Revival style, or a separate style unto its own right....
styles of architecture. Cornell was also forced to open a rock quarry to acquire grey Lockport limestone (colloquially known as Llenroc limestone) with which to build the house.
German artisans were commissioned to carve elaborate designs into the limestone, while English artisans were hired to carve the woodwork for the house. Irish, Scottish, Italian and Indian immigrants, were employed as laborers for the construction project.
The house has 17 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms (one large bathroom to accommodate the house’s many residents). Up to 26 people may make their residence at the house at any one time.
Since the initial construction, a number of renovations have been carried out. In 1946, a major overhaul of the house was performed, during which time the house’s basement was converted into a living area, complete with a bar. In 1955, a garage was erected adjacent to the house (although it was subsequently torn down). In 1967, the upstairs bathroom was renovated. In 2007, the kitchen was renovated.
Notable Features
There are a number of notable aspects to the Llenroc property, other than the actual house. In 1925, the Delta Phi Memorial Staircase, at the southernmost extreme of the property, was donated to the Delta Phi Fraternity by Arthur Baldwin in commemoration of his son, Morgan Smiley Baldwin, who was killed in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The property also boasts tennis and basketball courts on its 2.34 acres (9,469.7 m²) of land. Inside the house, hand-made twin chandeliers hang in downstairs living spaces, in the living and music rooms.
The Chapter
The Pi chapter of the Delta PhiDelta Phi
Delta Phi is a fraternity founded in 1827 at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Founded as part of the Union Triad, along with the Kappa Alpha Society and Sigma Phi Society, Delta Phi was the third and last member of the Triad...
Fraternity was founded in 1891 on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York.http://www.llenroc.org/about.asp After a brief stint in downtown Ithaca at 405 East State Street, the brotherhood moved to 515 Stewart Avenue. In 1911, the brotherhood made its last move, into the current residence of the Pi Chapter: Llenrochttp://www.llenroc.org/about.asp.
Quick Facts
- Llenroc is Cornell spelled backwards.
- Ezra CornellEzra CornellEzra Cornell was an American businessman and education administrator. He was a founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University...
had the phrase "True and Firm" carved over the entryway to Llenroc at the suggestion of Andrew Dickson WhiteAndrew Dickson WhiteAndrew Dickson White was a U.S. diplomat, historian, and educator, who was the co-founder of Cornell University.-Family and personal life:...
, the co-founder and first President of Cornell UniversityCornell UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
.http://www.llenroc.org/about.asp
External links
- Cornell University, Llenroc, 100 Cornell Avenue, Ithaca, Tompkins, NY: 20 photos, 1 data page, and 1 photo caption page at Historic American Building Survey
- Llenroc Website
- National Register of Historic Places: Tompkins County, NY