The Neighborhood House and EOP

by Erin Doane, curator 

The Neighborhood House, 1925

In 1878, the Ladies Temperance and Benevolent Union of Elmira started the Industrial School “to help the poor to help themselves.” There, women and girls learned to sew. They then sold what they made to earn an income. The school also hosted weekly meetings with Bible lessons.

Industrial School, c. 1900

The school began in rooms on the corner of Lake and Carroll Streets. By the 1920s, it had grown into a complex that occupied the entire block of East Fifth Street from Dickinson to Baldwin Streets. It had also been officially renamed the Neighborhood House. The organization was strictly non-sectarian and was open to all regardless of race, creed, culture, or national origin. It provided job training and classes for adults and offered athletic and craft activities for children.

Children at the Neighborhood House, 1930s
(photo courtesy of EOP)

During the middle of the 20^th century, the Neighborhood House became a center of information, counseling, vocational guidance, and recreation for the community. It sponsored basketball teams and other group sports. The building had two gymnasiums and in the 1950s, the smaller gym was used for dances and roller skating on the weekends.

Roller skating at the Neighborhood House, 1950s

In the 1960s, as the African American community was embroiled in the fight for equal rights, the Neighborhood House took on a more active role in advocating for social justice. A new philosophical approach known as “New Directions” was adopted that focused on striving to eliminate all forms of racism and solving community problems rather than simply providing neighborhood services. In November 1971, the Neighborhood House moved into a newly-built facility at East Fifth and Lake Streets.

Neighborhood House Girl Scout troop, 1950s
(photo courtesy of EOP)

In the 1980s, rising inflation and a weakening economy strained the Neighborhood House’s finances. The organization refocused its attention on two areas: human services and youth services. It provided drug education and drug counseling, computer courses, and sports programs. Despite efforts to rebuild membership numbers, raise funds, and develop new programs to serve the community, the Neighborhood House was forced to close on January 16, 1987. Three years later, in 1990, it reopened as the Ernie Davis Community Center. The center’s work focused on recreational and educational programs for children.

Carole Coleman instructing Natalie Jones in basic
computer techniques at the Neighborhood House,
Star-Gazette, April 21, 1981, photo by Jeff Richards

The Equal Opportunity Program or EOP stared in 1965 with the mission to eliminate poverty. Its early focus was on issues advocacy, including welfare and housing rights. After a few years, it shifted its approach to directly helping underprivileged individuals. It offered daycare and Head Start, alcohol rehabilitation, home weatherization programs, nutrition education, and home heating emergency assistance programs. While it suffered through a financial crunch in the 1980s when community organizations were forced to compete for limited funding, by the mid-1990s EOP had grown to an organization with a budget of $5.6 million that served approximately 10,000 people a year.

Economic Opportunity Program, Inc. of
Chemung and Schuyler Counties, 2019

In 1996, EOP, the Ernie Davis Community Center, and the Eastside Community Center merged under the EOP name. The organization continued operating out of the Lagonegro Building at 318 Madison Avenue until 2002, when the new Ernie Davis Family Center opened on Baldwin Street. Today, the Economic Opportunity Program, Inc. of Chemung and Schuyler Counties continues to operate as a community action organization dedicated to helping the people of the Southern Tier.

Did you want to learn more about what EOP is doing now and see more old photos from the Neighborhood House? Visit https://www.cseop.org/ and https://www.cseop.org/neighborhood-house.

 

The Centennial Project

By Rachel Dworkin, Archivist

In 1964, as part of Elmira’s 100^th anniversary, the city unveiled the Centennial Project meant to transform the Eastside. The plan called for the clearing of approximately 48 acres of land between Harriet Street and Madison Avenue from the river north to Church Street. The city initially estimated that some 231 families would be displaced, but, in the end 515 families, 130 individuals, and 54 business were displaced for the project.  The neighborhoods were slated to be replaced by a new county health complex, apartments for seniors, a low-rent housing complex, and a neighborhood shopping center. 

Proposed site plan, 1964

The Eastside was one of the oldest sections of the city. During the 19^th century, it was a predominantly working-class, immigrant neighborhood. It boasted a mix of Irish, German, and Eastern European Jews, with a sprinkling of African-Americans. As the immigrants moved their way up the economic ladder post-World War II, they began to abandon the old neighborhood, leaving the homes in disrepair. By 1964, most of the buildings were approaching 100 years old. Elderly residents often struggled to keep up with repairs, and many landlords simply didn’t bother. 

113 Dewitt Avenue, 1967

 Reactions of people in the renewal area were mixed. People had been steadily moving out of the area since the 1950s, but a lot of older residence had a strong sense of community and were reluctant to leave. While displaced elderly residents would be given first dibs in the Newtown Towers Senior Apartments, they would have to find temporary accommodations while they waited for it to be built. Homeowners worried about being able to buy new homes, especially since the city was offering bottom dollar for their properties. Families who lived above their own shops had trouble finding other places in the city zoned for mixed use. Many renters, on the other hand, welcomed the prospect of safe, affordable, and modern rental units. 

In January 1967, the city began purchasing homes in the urban renewal area. They established a relocation office meant to help the displaced find new places to live. Relocation officers surveyed the needs of the displaced to match them with available apartments and helped those who wanted to buy homes apply for mortgages. Elmira had long had a problem with landlords who refused to rent to African-Americans. The relocation office forced them to comply with anti-discrimination laws, helping to desegregate many neighborhoods. 

The project was carried out in phases. Construction began first on Newtown Towers in January 1968. It opened in October 1969. Next came the Chemung County Health complex which includes a health center and nursing facility. Work began in 1970 and finished in spring 1971. The Heritage Park low-income housing complex was started last and its opening was pushed back to August 1973 thanks to the flood of 1972. The proposed neighborhood shopping center on the south side of Water Street was never built. The Holiday Inn hotel sits there now. 

Newtown Towers and Chemung County Health Complex, 1973

Heritage Park Apartments, 1974

If you have stories or images related to the Centennial Project or Eastside urban renewal, we would like to hear about it. Please contact me at (607) 734-4167 ex. 207 or drop me an e-mail at archivist@chemungvalleymuseum.org