ITHACA, N.Y. — The William Henry Miller Inn in downtown Ithaca marked its second anniversary under its current ownership in mid-June with a ribbon-cutting event. 

The Tompkins Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Ithaca Alliance hosted the June 14 event. The William Henry Miller Inn is located at 303 N. Aurora St. in downtown Ithaca.

Owners Amy Fuhr and Christopher Anderson purchased the inn on June 14, 2019 and have completed many projects throughout the past two years, per a Tompkins Chamber news release.

“The Inn continues to provide a welcoming and unique experience in a historic mansion in the heart of downtown Ithaca,” Fuhr said.

Joining the Tompkins Chamber and Downtown Ithaca Alliance for event included Duscon Nguyen, Ward 2 alderperson for the City of Ithaca; Tom Knipe, deputy director of economic development for the City of Ithaca; and Erin Rafalowski, director of marketing for Ithaca/Tompkins County Convention and Visitor Bureau.

“The William Henry Miller Inn is a charming and historic downtown Ithaca lodging option, and the Chamber is excited to celebrate two years of ownership with Amy Fuhr and Christopher Anderson,” Jennifer Tavares, president of the Tompkins Chamber, said. “Since 1999, the Inn has been a true gem amongst our hospitality offerings in Tompkins County, fortunate to have owners who also invest in our community.”

“We are thrilled to be a part of this celebration for the William Henry Miller Inn,” Gary Ferguson, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, said. “The Inn is an incredible community asset and is an iconic part of the Ithaca lodging scene. The Inn’s one-of-a-kind character attracts visitors from throughout the world.”  

About William Henry Miller Inn

William Henry Miller, a native of Barneveld near Utica, came to Cornell University in 1868. At the time, the school didn’t have an architecture program.

Andrew Dickson White, Cornell’s first president, “took young Miller under his tutelage and the architecture program was born,” per the Inn’s website. 

Miller eventually secured several commissions for his work, so he went right to work and didn’t graduate from Cornell. In 1878, the Stowell family, well-known wholesale grocers in Ithaca, commissioned Miller to build their home and the Stowells lived there until 1914. 

Over the years, the home’s occupants included Agda Osborn, whom the website describes as the “Grande Dame” of Ithaca and a “pillar of the community,” having founded organizations that include the Hangar Theatre; Family and Children’s Service; the Cornell’s Women’s Club; and the City Federation of Women’s Organizations, the website says.

After Osborn died in 1996, Lynnette Scofield and her husband bought the house in 1998 and renovated it. The William Henry Miller Inn opened March 4, 1999.