The East Ithaca Depot The building AGAVA resides in was known as
the East Ithaca Railroad Depot, built as part of Ezra’s
investment in 1876. The Depot was a stop on the Utica, Ithaca &
Elmira Railway Line. Ezra wanted a station as close to campus as
possible to make travel to this remote campus easy on faculty,
and students. The original location was down the street at the
current Coal Café and Coal Apartments on Maple Avenue. During
the 1850s and 60s, railroads were booming in the United States.
The Ithaca and Owego Railroad had opened in 1834, but it was
more of a horse drawn trolley on wood planks than a steel rail
locomotive line. It wasn’t until after the Civil War that Ezra
Cornell used an estimated $2 million of his own fortune to put
Ithaca on the railroad map. Ezra recognized that the railways
would help not only secure future trade but also provide travel
facilities for members of the University he was in the process
of forming. Today the only active line is a train that runs from
Gang Mills yard (w