John Gridley House

Built in 1812, the John Gridley House is one of the oldest surviving structures in the Syracuse area. Designed in the Federal style and built by Moses and Aaron Warner, the house is known for its walls of local Onondaga limestone, as well as the intricate, carved woodworking of its interior. John Gridley, a local tanner, lived in the house with his wife Nancy and their children for 20 years, before it was sold in a sheriff's sale in 1832. Many individuals and families have called it home since then, and it was briefly turned into an apartment building in the early 1900s. Dale and Ann Tussing, the current owners, have lived in the John Gridley House for over 50 years, and have made recent renovations while preserving its historic character.

At the time of its construction, the John Gridley House was located in Onondaga Hollow, an early settlement on the south side of modern Syracuse. Originally the land of the native Onondaga people, American settlers began moving into the area after the end of the Revolutionary War. The land that the house sits on was owned by George Kibbe, who opened the first store in the region.

In 1810, John and Nancy Gridley purchased two acres of land from Kibbe for $1,400. Both John and Nancy had moved west to Onondaga Hollow in the late 18^th century. John had come with his family from Massachusetts, and Nancy – with her father, the civil engineer and surveyor, Gideon Seely, Jr. – from Westchester County in New York. After their marriage, John and Nancy had a house built on their newly acquired land. They hired the stonemason brothers Moses and Aaron Warner, who would also build several other important local structures – the Arsenal, the Village Academy, and the General Hutchinson House, which still exists today as the Inn of the Seasons restaurant.

The house was completed in 1812, just as a second war against Britain was breaking out. Local legend says that Gridley had a Masonic emblem carved on a stone at the front door – not just because he was a member of the local Masonic Order, but because he hoped that the British would spare a Freemason’s home if they invaded. In fact, the house is in the background of a painting by George Knapp, which depicts British POWs being marched along the Seneca Turnpike in 1814.

The two-story house (with additional basement and attic) was designed in the Federal style, and the walls are local Onondaga limestone. A striking feature of the house’s interior is its original, hand-carved woodwork, much of which still exists today. The floor plan of the house was altered during the early 20^th century, when it was subdivided into apartments. Modern additions like electricity, plumbing, and heating also changed the house, but it has retained much of its original character through more than two centuries of habitation.

The original inhabitants, John and Nancy Gridley, lived in the house for 20 years. John built a tannery on the property, but financial difficulties forced the business to close, and the Gridleys eventually lost their house in a sheriff’s sale in 1832. John Gridley moved his family west to Illinois, and the house that would bear his name passed to several subsequent owners throughout the next 135 years. By 1968 the structure was vacant, until it was purchased by Dale and Ann Tussing the following year. Dale Tussing was a professor of Economics at Syracuse University from 1958 until 2008, and the Tussings still live in the John Gridley House to this day. In 2010, a historical marker was placed outside the house by the Town of Onondaga. 

Case, Dick. Gridley House, one of the oldest in Syracuse, now features historic marker, The Post-Standard. August 17th 2010. Accessed March 7th 2022. https://www.syracuse.com/opinion/2010/08/gridley_house_one_of_the_oldes.html.

Gobrecht, Lawrence. National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form , National Archives Catalog. February 16th 1977. Accessed March 7th 2022. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320357.

Historic Town of Onondaga Driving Tour, Town of Onondaga Historical Society. Accessed March 7th 2022. http://www.onondagatownhist.org/bustour.htm.

Protected Site Application, City of Syracuse. Accessed March 7th 2022. http://syrgov.net/uploadedFiles/Departments/Economic_Development/Content/Economic_Development_Landing_Page/SLPB/LPS%2020-02%20205%20E%20Seneca%20Turnpike_John%20Gridley%20House-%20draft%206_1_20.pdf.

Searing, Robert. The story of how two War of 1812 soldiers came to be buried side-by-side on Onondaga Hill, The Post-Standard. October 14th 2021. Accessed March 7th 2022. https://www.syracuse.com/living/2021/10/the-story-of-how-two-war-of-1812-soldiers-came-to-be-buried-side-by-side-on-onondaga-hill.html.

Stoessel, Steve. Gridley House, The Historical Marker Database. June 26th 2021. Accessed March 7th 2022. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=175929.