Way & Brand Leaf Tobacco Warehouse

Located in the heart of Elmira’s Civic Historic District, the Reynolds Way project for Arbor Housing and Development brought four very different long-vacant buildings back into active use as affordable housing. Together, the rehabilitated buildings now provide 41 affordable apartments while preserving important pieces of downtown Elmira’s architectural and industrial history.

One of the most distinctive buildings in the project is the former Brand and Way Tobacco Warehouse. The rehabilitation adapted the historic warehouse into new apartment units while retaining the character of its original industrial use. The building’s post-and-beam construction remains exposed throughout, allowing the structure itself to define the interior character of the apartments and shared spaces.

A former drive-through passage once used for tobacco carts has been thoughtfully repurposed as a community room, giving new life to a utilitarian feature of the warehouse’s original operation. Original elevator equipment has also been preserved and left visible within a corridor, helping tell the story of the building’s past while integrating it into daily residential use.

The project demonstrates how affordable housing and historic preservation can work together. By restoring the former tobacco warehouse and adapting it for contemporary apartments, Reynolds Way supports Arbor Housing and Development’s mission while strengthening the surrounding historic district and returning a vacant downtown building to productive community use.