William Henry Miller Inn

A nine-room downtown Ithaca inn in a late-19th-century house designed by William Henry Miller — Cornell's first architecture graduate and the architect of much of the original Cornell campus, including Uris Library and the Andrew D. White House. It's an unusual provenance for a small inn, and it shows up in the building: better proportions, real woodwork, a stained-glass landing, and the kind of spatial logic you don't get in a generic Victorian B&B.

The inn is a few blocks from the Commons in central Ithaca, walking distance to the gorges and a ten-minute drive from Cornell's main campus. It's one of the few proper hotels in Ithaca proper that isn't a chain box on Route 13, and the consistent reason people come back is that it punches above its category — small, careful, and well above the price-to-quality curve for the Finger Lakes.

The setting

Central Ithaca, on North Aurora Street about three blocks above the Ithaca Commons. The Commons (pedestrian downtown, restaurants, shops) is a five-minute walk south. Cornell's main campus is a ten-minute drive uphill or a long, steep walk. Ithaca Falls — one of the more dramatic gorge waterfalls in the city — is fifteen minutes on foot. Cayuga Lake's south end and the Stewart Park trails are a five-minute drive.

Coming in: Ithaca is roughly four hours from New York via I-81 and Route 13, and three from Buffalo. The Finger Lakes wineries on Cayuga and Seneca are 30 to 60 minutes by car.

The building

A late-Victorian wood-frame house designed by William Henry Miller around 1880, restored as an inn. Miller's residential work was meant to read as serious without being grand, and the house follows that brief — proper proportions, good light, period stained glass on the stair landing, the original fireplaces still in place. Public spaces are small and parlor-scaled: a sitting room, a dining room, a porch.

The rooms

Nine keys, all individually configured. The character runs Victorian without being heavy — wood floors, period furniture, tall ceilings, good light. Three rooms have whirlpool tubs in the bathrooms, which is the upgrade most guests pay for; one room is a two-room suite with a separate sitting area. From-rates around $265, climbing during Cornell graduation weekends, parents' weekend, and fall foliage.

Food & drink

A full hot breakfast is included and served in the dining room each morning — three courses, made on-site. There's no full restaurant or bar; the Commons handles dinner (Just A Taste, Le Café Cent-Dix, Madeline's, Hawi for Ethiopian) and is a five-minute walk. The inn also runs an evening dessert hour in the parlor, which is more substantive than it sounds.

On the property

A small spa room with massage by appointment, a porch, a parlor, a garden. No pool, no gym.

• In-room spa services (massage by appointment)
• Whirlpool tubs in three rooms
• Full hot breakfast included
• Evening dessert hour in the parlor
• Open year-round; Cornell graduation weekends book a year out

Who it's for

• Cornell parents and visiting academics who want walking distance to the Commons
• Couples doing a Finger Lakes wine weekend with Ithaca as the base
• Travelers who actually like B&Bs — innkeeper, breakfast included, parlor
• Architecture-minded visitors interested in Miller's work and the campus

Who it's not for

• Travelers who want a full hotel — concierge, room service, gym, restaurant
• Families with very young children
• Anyone who wants to be on or above the Cornell campus specifically; this is downtown, not Collegetown

Nearby

The Commons is a five-minute walk and covers most dinner needs. Cornell's main campus, the Plantations, and the Johnson Museum are a ten-minute drive uphill. Ithaca Falls and the Cascadilla Gorge trail are fifteen minutes on foot. Buttermilk Falls and Robert Treman state parks are 10 to 15 minutes south. The Cayuga Lake Wine Trail (Hosmer, Sheldrake Point, Boundary Breaks on Seneca) is a 30-to-60-minute drive depending on which winery. Taughannock Falls — taller than Niagara — is twenty minutes north along the lake.