Computing and Communications Center, Ithaca

The Computing and Communications Center (CCC) at Cornell University is a historic building in Ithaca, originally constructed in 1911. Designed by the architectural firm Green & Wicks, it was first intended for New York State’s Home Economics program. In 1934, the building was renamed Comstock Hall when it became home to the Entomology Department, named in honor of John Henry Comstock and Anna Botsford Comstock.

By the 1980s, the structure took on a new role when Cornell University acquired it to house mainframe computers, previously located at Langmuir Laboratory. To accommodate this transition, a newly constructed state-funded Entomology building, also named Comstock Hall, was completed in 1985, while the historic structure was renamed the Computing and Communications Center.

In recent years, the CCC has undergone renovations led by Chiang | O’Brien Architects to enhance its functionality for Cornell’s academic support offices. The redesign aimed to optimize workspaces for the Learning Strategies Center, the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives, the Intergroup Dialogue Project, and the Center for Teaching Innovation. These units provide resources for student learning strategies, diversity initiatives, and faculty teaching development. A key addition to the renovated space is a new active learning classroom, designed to implement modern teaching pedagogies.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984, the CCC continues to evolve while maintaining its architectural and academic significance within Cornell’s campus.