made to the Commons in 2008. In 2009, the city commissioned landscape architecture firm Sasaki Associates to do a complete redesign, with a more open central lane, "patterned pavement, varied and movable seating, improved performance spaces, energy-efficient lighting, an outdoor reading area and a small playground." The old Commons was demolished in April 2013. The reconstruction was originally planned to take 18 months and cost $9.5 million. But a series of problems, including a poorly-documented existing conditions, poorly-drawn plans, poor coordination with NYSEG, and mayhem caused by a runaway truck, caused the project to go long over schedule and budget. Many business owners reported dramatically decreased sales and foot traffic. In August 2015, the Commons re-opened, at a total cost of $15 million. In 2012, a stainless steel and bronze sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. was unveiled at the western end of the Commons. The sculpture, by Rob Licht, depicts a portrait bust of King with an abstracted image of a waterfall. The base of the statue is etched with a quotation from King. In late 2015, construction began on a new, ten-story Marriott hotel on a vacant triangular lot at the eastern end of the Commons. The hotel opened in November 2016. In 2013, a local developer proposed replacing three buildings on the Commons with modern retail spaces, three stories of office space, and an eleven-story apartment tower. The project, named "Harold's Square," would also result in the historic rehabilitation of the 19th-century Sage Block building. The project was expected to be completed in summer 2019, but was still under construction in August 2020, when the developer sued the city in an effort to stop another project in the area, concerned that they would lose revenue due to competition for parking. In 2022, a building that once housed Firebrand Books - a building on the Commons, at 143 East State Street - was designated a local historic landmark by the Ithaca Common Council. Features Sagan Planet Walk Bernie Milton Pavilion State Theatre Annual Events Annual Chili Festival (first week of February) Ithaca Festival (first weekend of June) Bite of Ithaca (late June) Apple Harvest Festival (first weekend of October) Winter Light Festival (first weekend of December) Chowder Cook-Off (December) First Friday Gallery Nights (first Friday of each month) Summer Concert Series (Thursday evenings during the summer) References External links Downtown Ithaca Alliance Website Ithaca Downtown Partnership development strategy