Business & Industry

Elmira Heights rapidly developed in the 1890s. By 1895, there were more than half a dozen new factories in operation including Call Manufacturing Company, Elmira Bridge Works, the American Window Glass Company, and Eclipse Bicycle Works. Many more factories opened throughout the early 1900s. Companies built housing units to accommodate the influx of workers. Hotels like the Grand Central Hotel, Cycle Hotel, and Eclipse Hotel also housed factory employees and their families. Amos Bauman opened the first grocery store on Grand Central Avenue and other markets and stores soon followed. The village remained an industrial center until well after World War II.