Sagan House sold to billionaire scrap metal mogul – The Ithaca Voice

ITHACA, N.Y. — While describing the universe, legendary astronomer Carl Sagan famously used the phrase “billions upon billions.” Now, his storied Ithaca home has sold for millions upon millions.

The building, located at 900 Stewart Avenue, has a mystique that goes beyond its prominent former owner. Completed in 1926 in the Egyptian Revival Style as the headquarters for Cornell’s Sphinx Head secret society, it was designed to resemble a tomb from the outside that could have housed the ancient pharaohs.

However, as times and needs changed, the society sold the chamber in 1969 to its next-door neighbor, physicist Robert Wilson, a storied scientist in his own right. Wilson used it as a sculpture studio before selling the property to architect and Cornell professor Steven Mensch in 1978.

“The renovation contained elements that would characterize Steve’s architectural style: clean geometrical lines, sunlit open spaces, harmonious integration between the building and the surrounding environment, and a joyous flair for the dramatic,” states Mensch’s 2021 obituary.

But Mensch didn’t hold onto the property for long. Sagan and his wife, Ann Druyan, purchased the home in 1981 as Sagan finished filming the Cosmos TV series. During their years of using the property as a residence and study, they conducted their own renovations, designed by Atelier Jullian and Pendleton and built in the early 1990s.

Many of Mensch’s features were removed, though some aspects like the entry staircase were maintained. A plan to double the size of the original 1,248 square-foot structure with an equally-sized addition further south into the gorge was never completed. Although Sagan died of cancer in 1996, Druyan held onto 900 Stewart in the subsequent decades while maintaining her primary residence further north in Cayuga Heights.

That is, until Nov. 26, when Druyan sold the gorgeside property for $2 million, far above its assessed value of $585,000. The filing shows the buyer is an LLC in Owego with the same address as Upstate Shredding / Weitsman Recycling, led by billionaire scrap metal mogul Adam Weitsman.

“I’ve liked that property ever since I was a kid,” Weitsman said in an interview with The Ithaca Voice.

Weitsman said he had long been fascinated by the small structure, but it had never been on the market before since all of its sales were private listings.

“Everybody knew I loved it. It just resonated with me for 40 years,” Weitsman said. “I would drive by it every time I was in Ithaca, my friends would get so annoyed. The Sagan history just adds to the legacy of the place. It’s not for everybody, but I’m kind of a strange guy.”

In Weitsman’s description, he had long made it known to local brokers that if Druyan was ever willing to part with the property, he’d gladly buy it from her. This year, she was finally ready to sell, so her broker called Weitsman and the deal was made over the phone. Weitsman admitted that while he now owns the property, he’s only been inside the house there once. He will receive the keys by New Year’s Day.

This is the rare case in which an elevated sale price indicates a genuine passion purchase rather than an eye towards investment like a Collegetown boarding house. Weitsman said it was hard to put a value on a property like 900 Stewart Ave. with its “unparalleled setting on the cliff of the gorge.”

Weitsman said he intends to “historically renovate” it, though the property is a contributing property to the Cornell Heights Historic District, so any exterior modifications or interior renovations readily seen from the outside will require the approval of the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission (ILPC).

“It’ll be something I use as an office and study for me,” he said. “This isn’t a big building, it’s kinda like a one-bedroom space with a loft and half a bath. It’s basically one big room.”

He added that he also has plans to spruce up the landscaping alongside Stewart Avenue.

The property, and Ithaca itself, is a bit out of the way for Weitsman — his firm’s headquarters is in Owego, and his primary residence is in Skaneateles. But he insists that’s not a major concern.

“I love Ithaca, it’s one of my favorite places and it’s only 20 minutes from my work in Owego,” he said. “This will just be a think-space I can go and come up with creative ideas.”

While the house is changing ownership, a little part of Carl Sagan will remain.

“Mrs. Sagan said she was going to give me something of Carl’s to keep in the house. That means a lot to me,” said Weitsman. “Hopefully some of his intelligence can pass on to me.”

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