Inspired by the industrious past of chains, planes, power, and people.
Built in phases from 1906 through 1971, SouthWorks is an 850,000 square-foot former industrial facility that will be rehabilitated into a 1.7 million square-foot mixed-use neighborhood comprising 28 adjacent buildings on 95 acres.
Over the course of the site’s history, everything from industrial chains, automotive parts, critical components for bicycles, motorcycles, typewriters and calculators were manufactured on site. Notably during World War I the Tommy Plane was built here. Morse Chain occupied the facility from 1906 until 1928 when the company merged with BorgWarner, which owned the property from 1928 to 1982. Emerson Power Transmission continued manufacturing at the site from 1983 until its closure in 2011.
Making history by breaking new ground
SouthWorks blends adaptive reuse with new construction. The site has approximately 32 acres of developable land and zoning in place to provide commercial and residential options— including affordable, workforce and market-rate housing.
SouthWorks will be a catalyst for growth, and once again an economic workhorse for the City and Town of Ithaca and the regional economy. SouthWorks will build from Ithaca’s location, built-in talent and consumer base to attract and accommodate a diverse base of employers.
Following our Whole Neighborhood Approach, SouthWorks’ mixed-use master plan will be built out in multiple phases over several years. Live here, work here, will be intertwined with a variety of housing options for a diversity of households.
Connecting with your history and herstory
For more than a century, history was made at the site by the thousands of workers who kept the factory running, working three shifts, seven days a week. The site was a major driver of immigration to the area and supplied jobs to the area in every industry from manufacturing to maintaining the railroads.