ITHACA, N.Y. — When an architect has been in the business for fifty years, including thirty-five running their own practice, it’s fair to say that they probably have a few projects they can show up to family and friends. A building here, a building there, one in the next city over.
Then there’s Jagat Sharma. If you stand in the middle of the intersection of College Avenue and Dryden Road, you can see no less than seven of his designs. Since hanging his shingle in Ithaca back in 1981, Sharma has worked on over twenty projects in Collegetown alone, with at least two more in the works. Add in his other works around the city and region, and you have a very busy studio.
Like many transplants, Sharma originally came to Ithaca to learn. He first arrived in the United States in 1966 after finishing his architecture degree in India and working in London. Starting in Syracuse and coming to Ithaca to do his Master’s in Architecture degree at Cornell in 1970, he then worked with a then-prominent local architect, Victor Bagnardi, on projects such as the Seneca Street Parking Garage and Newfield High School. In 1980, he decided to give the New York City market by joining a city firm as a senior designer, but ending up returning to Ithaca within a year.
“My family never moved, my wife worked at Ithaca College as part of the Library faculty, she did that for 37 years, retiring in 2007. My daughter grew up here, went to Ithaca College. I went to the city, and we decided either the family would move to New York, or I would move back, I was going back and forth every weekend. Working as lead designer the positions allowed very little direct contact with the clients and minimum exposure to the permitting process. The best to explore doing your own thing is to open your own office, and I came back. I have been lucky.”
The opening of Sharma’s practice coincided with a big update in city zoning – in 1981, the city had just updated its Collegetown regulations, reducing or removing parking requirements to encourage development in the neighborhood, which was a seedy, unattractive investment in those days. His company’s first project was an apartment building at 319 College Avenue.
“I was dealing with property owners who had little idea as to what architects do. Economic feasibility, the cost versus number of bedrooms, was the controlling factor. [The] ability to get the project approved and be ready for the coming academic year was another big concern. I fulfilled these requirements. The possibility of putting up new buildings on an empty space or replacing old structures encouraged other property owners to follow suit. Rest is history.”
History has been kind. While the work has ebbed and flowed (Sharma notes the three of four building moratoriums place on Collegetown over the years had resulted in lean times for his studio, but 2006 and 2014 were among his busiest years), the flow of interest from Collegetown landowners has never subsided. Not everything gets built; Fane’s 12-story 330 College proposal was a Sharma design, as was the apartment building proposed for 302-306 College Avenue. But overall, he has much to show for his efforts at his architect’s desk.
In reference to some reader emails over the years, there’s no “secret sauce” to Sharma’s methods; he credits the return business to providing good service. “Personal communication is important. You’re dealing with their money, you give them the best service. I monitor the construction, the assembly of the trades [contractors]. I deliver projects on time with as little difficulty as possible.” As for working with the city and its varied interests, he said “{y}ou earn respect from them by being honest and sincere. I deliver what I say I do, we don’t change things at the last minute. The city is happy with that.”
Asked if he wished he could redo any of his buildings, Sharma gave a whimsical response. “My very first day in architecture school in 1954, my professor said ‘a writer can throw away his writing, a painter can throw away his paintings, and a sculptor can throw away his sculptures, but an architect can’t throw away his buildings.’ I take more liberties these days, but decades ago, I was dealing with clients with little money. Now they have more money, and they want higher ceilings, more windows, nicer detailing.”
Generally, Sharma’s happiest with his most recent projects like 307 College Avenue, which he calls his “mature work”. But his personal favorites aren’t apartment buildings, or in Collegetown. They are his home on Cayuga Lake, and the Tompkins Trust branch he designed on Triphammer Road. “Buildings with public spaces, you can do more. With apartment buildings, the dollar amounts are tied up in bedrooms. That’s always a challenge.”
At this late point in his career, Sharma notes that Ithaca continues to change, and there is a lot on the drawing boards these days, whether he’s the architect or not. He did note that he’d like to do something in downtown again (his downtown work consists of renovations and the Greenstate Building at 127 West State Street), maybe even visible from his office at 312 East Seneca Street. But overall, he’s happy with his contributions to the city’s landscape.
“I’ve been lucky that I got a good set of clients and they stayed with me. This family of clients has kept me going and given me a lot of confidence that we’re doing something right. On a dark and gloomy day, I just go to Collegetown and walk around. It’s a great feeling.”