SouthWorks Preserves Ithaca’s Industrial Legacy in Factory Stories, a New Photography Book by Artist Harry Littell
New book captures the people, places, and memories that shaped Ithaca’s manufacturing history.
SouthWorks Team | July 16, 2026
The voices of the workers who forged their livelihoods inside one of Ithaca’s largest manufacturing facilities have been preserved in Factory Stories, a new photography book by SouthWorks’ Artist in Residence, Harry Littell. Combining contemporary photographs of the former Morse Chain/BorgWarner/Emerson Power Transmission factory campus with portraits and firsthand recollections from former employees, the book documents a pivotal chapter in the city's industrial history as the site now enters a new era of redevelopment.
SouthWorks will celebrate the publication of Factory Stories with a public book launch on Thursday, August 6, 2026, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at FOUND in Ithaca, 620 South Aurora Street. The event is free and open to the public and guests are encouraged to RSVP. Copies of the book will be available for purchase for $40 at the event.
RSVP online at: https://southworksithaca.com/events/book
"I felt that I had stumbled into an abandoned cathedral of 20th-century manufacturing” said Littell. “The cavernous spaces and quiet light inspired a sense of awe.”
An Ithaca-based photographer, Littell is an adjunct Professor of Photography at Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) where he has taught since 2003. Raised in the Southern Tier, his work documents the people and infrastructure of places as they reinvent themselves.
"Harry has created something truly special in his new book,” said SouthWorks Development Project Manager Robert Lewis. “The coupling of community narratives stretching back decades with pictures of the factory as it stands today captures a perspective and understanding that could otherwise be lost. Harry was amazing to work with, and the SouthWorks team will continue to find ways to celebrate history and art as we bring this factory complex back to life."
About SouthWorks
SouthWorks is being reimagined through a collaboration of four experienced development partners, committed to community-focused revitalization. Together, Shift Capital, L Enterprises, USC Builds, and Xylem Projects are transforming Ithaca’s historic industrial campus into a vibrant hub for artists, makers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. The partnership brings more than 75 years of collective real estate development experience and a diverse range of expertise in adaptive reuse, community-centered planning, construction, and inclusive development.
Shift Capital, a Philadelphia-based Certified B Corporation, specializes in large-scale adaptive reuse; L Enterprises, led by Ithaca-area developer David Lubin, has guided SouthWorks’ site strategy for more than a decade; USC Builds, led by Melissa Suchodolski, is a New York State Certified Minority-and Woman-owned Business Enterprise specializing in construction and development; and Xylem Projects, led by Nnenna Lynch, is a mission-driven Minority-and Women-owned Business Enterprise focused on creating thriving communities.
Together, the partners are honoring SouthWorks’ industrial history while creating new opportunities for creativity, innovation, and community. For more information, visit https://southworksithaca.com/.