Straightening an Old House by Carol U. Sisler The building was the worst wreck in Ithaca, N.Y. It had been condemned by the building commissioner as unfit for human habitation, though it had never been built for human habitation in the first place. It had operated as a pottery workshop from 1841 to 1890, when it was fitted out for apartment living with rudimentary wiring and plumbing, lath, and plaster. But it had no insulation and no central heat. It did have a good location though. It was situated on a deep lot by itself at the foot of Ithaca Falls within walking distance of Cornell University and downtown. It also had a good pedigree – it was
