The Movie Studio

The Movie Studio. . , Built as part of Renwick Park’s pavilion construction complex, this building has lived many lives - as a dance pavilion, a bath house, and most notably, a silent movie studio. Designed in 1894 by local architecture from helmed by Clinton L. Vivian and Arthur N. Gibb - who had apprenticed under well-known Ithaca architect William Henry Miller - the building was originally almost identical in design to the adjacent Picnic Pavilion., In its early years, the dance pavilion housed vaudeville acts and screened its first moving pictures. The pavilion was used for outdoor theater performances in summer, and transformed into a popular roller skating rink in the fall and winter months., In 1915 Theodore Wharton leased fifty acres of the park, including this building, and with his brother Leopold, established Wharton, Inc., a motion picture production studio. The park and the lake provided the filmmakers with dramatic natural backdrops for their films and the space to construct outdoor sets and other small structures to house props, etc. The Whartons renovated the building to its current look enclosing the veranda that the neighboring Picnic Pavilion still features, most likely to control ambient light., Wharton, Inc. produced hundreds of popular silent movies and serials seen across the country and around the world, starring some of the best-known actors of the time. Locals were hired as set designers, builders, electricians, and cinematographers. Ithacans were often cast in supporting roles and as extras - on any given day a policeman, a stockbroker, or member of the Onondagan Nation may have been on set in the park., With the 1918 flu epidemic, people stopped going to the movies as frequently, and the studio’s finances greatly suffered. And, perhaps, Ithaca’s unpredictable climate became a challenge. Whatever the reason, in 1919 the Whartons sublet the studio building to Grossman Pictures Company, which produced The $1,000,000 Reward. In 1920, Cayuga Pictures, Inc., with starting capital of $525,000 .(more than $8,000,000 in today’s dollars) took over the studio and made one movie - If Women Only Knew - the last silent film to be made in Ithaca., Over the decades, the lakefront building also served as a venue for dances and meetings, a changing room for swimmers, and even a temporary detention center. It is commonly home to City of Ithaca’s Department of Public Works’ park maintenance and storage., Though unassuming, the historic Wharton Studio building is a significant cultural artifact - one only a handful of motion picture studios from the silent film era still standing today. This building and the history that took place in and around it, puts Ithaca on the map as a center of early American moviemaking., Wharton Studio Museum and Friends of Stewart Park are leading the effort to develop the lake-facing section of the building into the Wharton Studio and Cafe, featuring exhibits highlighting and celebrating the region’s unique role in film history., Timeline , , 11,000 BCE - Today , After the end of the last Ice Age, people began to occupy the lands of the Cayuga Lake basin. Over millennia, the Gayogoho:no? (Cayuga) established their ancestral homeland stretching from Lake Ontario in the north and south into what is today Pennsylvania. One of the six nations of the Hadinohso:my (Haudenosaunee), the Gayogoho:no? develop a language and culture rooted in the Cayuga Lake region and, with Indigenous allies, maintain a connection to Central New York that continues to this day., 1779 - 1790 , New York State takes most of the land around Cayuga Lake in a set of controversial treaties and establishes what becomes known as the Military Tract in the Hodinohso:nh homelands. The majority of land on which Stewart Park now sits is granted to Revolutionary War soldier Andrew Moodie. Moodie’s widow, in turn, sells it to merchant James Renwick., 1893 , Cascadilla School buys thirteen acres at the junction of Fall Creek and Cayuga Lake to build a bathhouse for their rowing and athletic programs. Ithaca architects Clinton L. Vivian and Arthur N. Gibbs are hired to design the boathouse. The Shingle-style structure is completed in 1896., 1894 , As trolley parks were becoming popular, the Cayuga Lake Electric Railway Company buys the forty acre parcel of land adjoining the Cascadilla Boathouse and builds a trolley lane from downtown Ithaca to the lakeshore. The company hires architects Vivian and Gibb to design a pavilion complex and create Renwick Park, a trolley and amusement park with a little train looping gardens and trails., 1895 - 1899 , Expansion continues with the building of pavilions, water tower, carousel, bandshell, bowling alley, photography studio, small zoo, and an 880’ steamboat pier, all of which enhanced the park’s appeal., 1913 , Much of the last acreage owned by the Renwick family is given to the City of Ithaca and becomes Renwick Wildwood, a bird sanctuary maintained by the Cayuga Bird Club., 1915 , With the emergence of the automobile, electric trolleys fallout of favor, and the trolley line to Renwick Park ceases to run. The park closes, but Theodore and Leopold Wharton lease the location for their film production studio Wharton, Inc. For the next few years, the studio produces hundreds of silent films and serials starring many of the best-known actors of the day., 1921 , In response to the community’s desire for a public park along Cayuga Lake, Mayor Edwin C. Stewart donates $150,000 (today over $2.5 million) to the Cith of Ithaca for the purchase of Renwick Park, establishing the city’s first public waterfront park. Mayor Stewart dies shortly before the park opens., 1927 , Renwick Park is renamed Stewart Park, and a memorial flagpole, and garden are erected in Mayor Edwin C. Stewart’s honor., 1933 , The Fuertes Overlook is constructed to provide a better and more attractive viewing area for the Fuertes Bird Sanctuary., 1952 , The carousel in Stewart Park, owned and operated by a private vendor., 1953 - 1990 , While Stewart Park remains a popular destination for rowing, fishing, and picnicking and as a venue for summer camp, music festivals and family outings; attractions such as the zoo, the swimming beach, and ice skating are discontinued., 1991 , The Cascadilla Board house is added to the National Register of Historic Places., 1998 , The City of Ithaca purchases the carousel and oversees operation., 2001 , The Cayuga Waterfront Trail Initiative (CWTI) is established to develop a multi-use trail along the Cayuga Inlet and Cayuga Lake and through Stewart Park. The Cayuga two-mile loop in Cass Park and is connected to the Ithaca Farmers Market and Stewart Park in 2015. The Treman Marina Trail extension is completed in 2019., 2009 , Wharton Studio Museum (WSM) is established. The nonprofit is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Ithaca’s and the region’s silent movie history and to developing the historic Wharton Studio Building into an exhibit space., 2011 - 2014 , Friends of Stewart Park (FSP) is established to revitalize Stewart Park in collaboration with the City of Ithaca, which owns the park. FSP develops and fundraises for a wide range of important park revitalization projects, working with other partners including Wharton Studio Museum and Historic Ithaca. ,

- The flagpole and Entrance Gardens are rejuvenated. , - The City of Ithaca rebuilds the Tea Pavilion with FSP. , - Restoration work begins on the Picnic Pavilion, beginning with the original doors and windows with improvements made later to the veranda, columns, and interior. , - The Carousel horses are repainted.

, 2015 - 2020 ,

- The City of Ithaca replaces the roof on the Cascadilla Boathouse, Licnic Pavilion, and Wharton Studio Building. , - Improvements are made to the Fuertes Overlook. - The Carousel receives a new fence, ramp, adaptive chariot and permanent cover.

, 2021 - 2024 ,

- FSP celebrates Stewart Park’s centennial as a public park with events and fanfare. , - The first year- round bathrooms [in Wharton Studio Building] are opened in the park in partnership with Wharton Studio Museum. , - The Cascadilla Boathouse exterior restoration is completed in partnership with Historic Ithaca. , - Exterior damage to the Fuertes Overlook is repaired. , - Stewart Park is added to the State and National Register of Historic Places. , - A new Splash Pad and Playground Bathroom are built.