Grant Avenue; It’s the road to Auburn
Its original path can be traced at least back to 1790, some nine years before Cayuga County was even formed, marked off from Onondaga County to the east. It passed through Sennett and eventually became known as "The Old Genesee Road," that is of course, after the building of the new Genesee Road. That pathway – the forerunner of Route 20 – connected Utica with Hardenbergh Corners, the settlement named for founder John Hardenbergh in 1792. But the original road to what became the village of Auburn (inc. 1815) is part of today’s Route 5, but always "Grant Ave." to those who know Auburn well.
And it is Grant "Ave" to the locals – not the abbreviation, but pronounced "ave," rhyming with "have." "I’m going out to Grant Ave! Who wants to go?" was shouted in my house many times when I was a kid. My mother or father was heading out to shop, but the store name was never spoken as the destination; it was the name of the street. It said it all, because it was Auburn’s original suburban shopping center as the shift from downtowns across America started to take place.
In somewhat modern times, the road was once a quiet highway leading into Auburn’s Eastside, a mainly residential area dotted with businesses. It has arguably grown into the premier shopping district in Cayuga County. It was a gradual growth curve, though.
For example, a quick count of the 1960 Polk Directory for Auburn turns up about 25 businesses on Grant Ave., from Fulton Street to the Sennett town line. Those who grew up in Auburn (as I did) might remember a few of the names from back then. Landmarks like Webster’s Dairy (best ice cream in town), the East Drive-In (always a double feature) and Star Markets (the big blue star rotating on top of the grocery store’s Auburn Plaza location). A few names from then are still in business today, like H&L Ford (Henderson & Lathrop back in the day), and although it has moved its location, it’s still a Grant Ave. mainstay.
By 1971 the directories showed more than 75 business addresses on Grant Avenue. Names like Family Bargain Center, Neisner’s and Ryerson Dodge won’t be found in the 1997 directory – but you will find more than 150 business names in that book, more than double the number of 26 years earlier. Then Grant Ave. helped form part of the Five Points, a busy business intersection with Franklin and Lewis streets. Even though the Route 5 Arterial would bust up the locally famous intersection later that decade, you’ll still find folks today who refer to the area around Maxwell’s Grocery as the Five Points.
Today, the Grant Ave. business count continues to grow, as does the area’s reputation as a shopping and business district. We don’t have accurate statistics on acreage involved in retail use, but giant footprints like Wal-Mart and Lowe’s stand out on the boulevard among the many locally owned and operated businesses so vital to the community like Carpet House and the Fox Auto Dealerships. These businesses help contribute to a thriving local retail economy – and a lot of shoppers! Most recent figures from the NYS Department of Transportation show that on average more than 22,000 vehicles a day travel the road between Standart Avenue and the city line, and just slightly less on the portion of Grant Avenue just west of the Standart intersection.
A lot of those drivers are hungry, no doubt, because Grant Ave. is also home to many restaurants and eateries to satisfy you no matter what your appetite or budget. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks are available, as well as a wide variety of cuisine including Italian, Chinese, Greek and (of course) American.
We looked, but didn’t find by press time, the origin of the Grant name. According to local historical records, President Grant visited the Martin home on the shores of Owasco Lake during his 19th century term in office; perhaps that visit had something to do with the naming of the road. A sidebar: Edward Sanford Martin was a child in the home then – he went on to Harvard, played a big role in the "Harvard Lampoon" and eventually was part of the group that started "Life magazine," a little known area historical tidbit. Back to the subject: if you happen to know where Grant Ave. got its name, drop us a card or an e-mail at pennysaver@scotsmanpress.com and we’ll update readers in next year’s "Vacationer."
So whether you’re a local resident or a visitor to the Finger Lakes region, be sure to visit the Grant Avenue area during your time in Auburn. You’ll find just about anything you’ll need and then some. Enjoy your stay in the old Hardenbergh Corners!