Gorge Deck and Lookout

Full Name

Cascadilla Gorge Deck

Era
Centennial Expansion (2015)
Alternative names

Porch

The Gorge Deck and Lookout provide space outside to relax and to entertain while enjoying the natural beauty of the woods just behind the house along Cascadilla Creek. Built of handsome cedar, the Deck is large enough to support a small gathering, while the Lookout affords a couple a view to the west, down the Gorge towards downtown Ithaca and over to West Hill.

The Deck and Lookout can be accessed directly through the Ashley Reading Room, or via walkways that connect it to the exterior fire stair.

History

In the original house, a sun porch in the southwest corner provided access to views of the Gorge— and of that rare Ithaca sun. But after the porch was enclosed in 1940 to become the house library, and then the 1956 dining room installed below it, one could scarcely see it from inside. This flaw was rectified with the 2015 expansion, which saw the building of the deck and lookout as part of a large exterior structure that includes a third floor walkway and the all-important fire stair, which replaces the old and obsolete fire escape.