ITHACA, N.Y. — The three-story building that has served as the longtime home of the Ithaca Times at 109 N. Cayuga St. is officially on the market for $1.885 million. Longtime owner Jim Bilinski, who purchased the property in 1987 and served as the publication’s publisher for 53 years, is selling the 9,012-square-foot structure . The building houses the newspaper’s offices on the ground floor and eight apartments on the upper levels, which were converted from 20 hotel rooms during a late-1980s renovation.
The sale follows a broader transition for the publication, which moved to nonprofit ownership under Pathways to Equity Inc. in 2025. The local shift mirrors a decades-long national trend where newspaper publishers have leveraged their real estate to raise capital amid plummeting revenue. The New York Times raised $225 million through its Manhattan headquarters, and the Tribune Co., which sought to sell its Tribune Tower, are among national publishers that have sold their real estate to stave off disaster.
In Ithaca, this is not the first time a major local media building has changed hands; in 2009, the Ithaca Journal building was listed for sale by Gannett for $1.85 million as part of a regional consolidation. That property was eventually purchased and reimagined by local developer John Guttridge, who transformed the former newspaper garages into Press Bay Alley, a “micro-retail” incubator.
Because The Ithaca Times building is part of the Ithaca Downtown Historic District, any significant alterations to the 1835-era exterior must be reviewed by the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission. These preservation requirements ensure that as newspaper properties are repurposed, they maintain the unique architectural character that defines the city’s central core.
