The city of Niagara Falls was officially founded in 1892. By 1900, it was apparent that a new City Hall was needed since the building at the time required constant repairs. However, residents voted against the idea and it took many years and several attempts to generate public support to build the present structure. Finally in 1922 residents voted in favor of a bond sale to fund the construction of a new city hall (in another vote the next year they approved transferring surplus funds to the project). Construction began on August 25, 1923 and the present City Hall was dedicated on May 27, 1925.

An excellent example of Neoclassical architecture, the Niagara Falls City Hall was built in 1925 and remains one of the city's important landmarks.

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Niagara Falls City Hall

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Built in 1925, Niagara Falls City Hall is a fine example of the Neoclassical Revival style, which is typical of civic architecture in the early 1900s. Designed by local architects Norton Kirkpatrick and Will A. Cannon, notable features include a grand entrance with fluted Ionic columns supporting a pediment with the engraved words "City Hall of Niagara Falls," and a semi-circular wing on the east side that houses the Common Council Chambers and features decorative garland panels. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Niagara Falls City Hall

This walking tour centers on historical landmarks near Niagara Falls and then moves north along Main Street. Be sure to not miss the Underground Railroad Heritage Center which is just about a mile further north beyond the final stop of this short walk.

Niagara Falls History Walking Tour

Frank A. Dudley (1864-1945) was a prominent politician, businessman, lawyer who played a large role in developing the Niagara Falls area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He co-founded and became the president of the United Hotels Company of America (UHCA) in 1910, which eventually became the largest hotel chain in the country by 1926 with 23 hotels and more than $76 million in investments (one of these hotels was the former Hotel Niagara, which is located across the street). The building housed many of the city's leading professionals and businesses, including attorneys, insurance companies, and investment brokers. The UHCA housed its offices in the building as well and Dudley's law firm, Dudley, Gray and Phelps. The building also included two restaurants, clerical and secretarial services, and full car service in the garage next door (the garage was torn down in the 1960s).Occupancy of the building remained stable until the 1970s when tenants began moving to the suburbs. Two plans to convert the building into condominiums fell through and the it remained vacant for many years until The Giacomo opened in 2010. The building also includes a restaurant and 24 upscale apartments.

Reaching a height of 20 stories, the former United Office Building was the tallest building in Niagara Falls until 2005. Now a luxury hotel called The Giacomo, the building was erected in 1929 by Frank A. Dudley, who was the president of the United Hotels Company of America. The building is considered one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in Western New York and is known for its use of Mayan Revival decorative terra cotta and sculptural elements. The setback floors at the top of the building feature friezes depicting ancient Mayan gods. The hotel opened in 2010. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

United Office Building (The Giacomo)

By the 1920s, Niagara Falls had become a tourist destination and a major trade and industrial center. The hydroelectric electricity generated by the Niagara Falls powered the various industries that developed in the area. Wealthy tourists visited the Falls in the late 1800s but large numbers of middle class tourists started arriving after personal automobiles became more widespread. This robust economic activity attracted business travelers and conventions to the city. To better accommodate both, the Chamber of Commerce led the effort to build a new hotel (most of the hotels in the area at the time were geared for tourists). After two failed attempts, a 30-member committee led by the president of the Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1922 to raise funds through selling stocks. Hundreds in the community contributed to the effort. In this way, the hotel was promoted as hotel for and built by local residents.The Hotel Niagara opened in April 1925. Operated by the United Hotels Company, it was considered state-of-the-art at the time, featuring fireproof construction, indoor plumbing and electricity. It was financially successful during the first few years but by 1929 was no longer profitable and by 1935 became community owned. The hotel continued to struggle until around 1946 when it began making money once again. It was sold in 1958 and operated until 1970 when it became the temporary home of the Guarding Life Insurance Company. The building was mostly vacant in the 1970s but was purchased in 1977 and renovated by the new owner, John Prozeralik, who renamed it John's Hotel Niagara. The revamped hotel was successful and catered to foreign group or charter travel. Prozeralik sold it in 1988 and the new owner operated it as Days Inn-Falls and then as Travelodge Hotel-Fallsview. The hotel continued to be profitable, generating an annual average of $2.5 million between 1998 and 2002. However, it failed to pay $1.3 million in taxes and as a result was placed in foreclosure in 2005 and sold. The next hotel operator ran it until 2007, selling it to another owner who intended to renovate it, which never happened. In the coming years, the building was bought and sold a few times including most recently in 2019. The the Covid-19 pandemic stalled the renovation plans and in 2021 the city's tax incentives expired. It appears the developer is still working to raise funds to restore and reopen the hotel.

With its curved shape and striking architecture, the former Hotel Niagara building is one of the most prominent landmarks in Niagara Falls. Erected in 1925, it was the last of the city's large hotels built in the early 1900s. The hotel was also notable for not being developed by one individual but rather the Chamber of Commerce and local residents. Its design combines elements of Italian Renaissance, Federal, and Adam architectural styles. The base consists of an artificial granite and limestone exterior with five arched openings, each of which contain decorative terra cotta panels. Other notable features include the terra cotta stringcourse and projecting cornice at the top of the building. As of July 2022, the building is vacant. A developer intended to restore it beginning in 2020 but the Covid-19 pandemic derailed those plans.

The Hotel Niagara

In the early 1800s, much of the shoreline along the American side of the Niagara River was lined with small mills and factories which depended on the river to supply water power. By the 1820s, however, travel to the area was becoming more popular and increased tourism led to a need for more accommodations. One of the existing mills, which was built in 1816, was converted into the Cataract House, which opened in 1825. At the time, the Cataract House was used as an overflow space for the nearby Eagle House, a hotel owned by General Parkhurst Whitney. The building faced Main Street with its rear facing the Niagara River.The Cataract became a popular destination itself and eventually Parkhurst added a four-story addition to the building, as well as a wing that faced the river. Guests at the property could be dropped off directly in front of the hotel by the Lewiston and Lockport railroad. Parkhurst made additional improvements to the hotel in the 1840s, including having running water pumped down from tanks on the hotel's upper floors. River water was diverted to the basement in order to operate the hotel's laundry. He also built a new addition of five stories, which included a dining room, a two-story kitchen. To make the hotel easily identifiable along the river, a cupola was added to the roof, making the property a visual landmark. In the 1850s, when Whitney's son and sons-in-law had taken over the operations of the property, a ballroom was added with piazzas overlooking the river.The expansive hotel was regarded as one of the grandest in the United States and its restaurant's menu was highly regarded. The hotel welcomed some of the most well-known Americans of the nineteenth century, including Andrew Jackson, Ulysses Grant, King Edward VIII, King George V, and Abraham Lincoln.But for all of the hotel's grandeur and fame, its historical significance has more to do with its secret guests. Its location along the Niagara River made the hotel an ideal place for escaped slaves to make the crossing to Canada and freedom. For a number of years in the antebellum period, the hotel was a station on the Underground Railroad. It had a wait staff that was largely (perhaps entirely) African American, and it is estimated that roughly 80 per cent of the wait staff were escaped slaves themselves. Though the Whitneys were not known to be abolitionists, they certainly must have been aware of the activities taking place at the hotel. There are several documented escapes through the Cataract House, including the escapes of Patrick Sneed, a waiter, and a woman named Cecilia Jane Reynolds, as well as a failed rescue attempt. Apparently waiters at the hotel helped to ferry runaway slaves across the river into Canada. John Morrison, the head waiter at the hotel, often ferried escaped slaves across the river himself.The hotel's popularity reached a peak in the late 1800s through about 1920, a time when railroad travel was expanding greatly and allowing for people to travel more easily. By the 1920s and 1930s, however, the hotel was no longer the grand structure that it once had been. It was an aging beauty and the Great Depression, followed by World War II, caused a decline in tourism. The hotel was purchased in 1945 by a developer who hoped to restore the Cataract to its former glory, but later that year, a fire erupted and the building was almost totally destroyed. It was demolished the following year.Today, the site that was once occupied by the Cataract is roughly the site of the small Heritage Park. Archaeological work at the site is ongoing and a historical marker was placed across the street from the Red Coach Inn in 2021. In 2022, a new restaurant called the Cataract House Restaurant and Academy opened in Buffalo. The new restaurant is an homage of sorts to the original Cataract House and serves a menu based on dishes served in its restaurant.

Situated along the Niagara River, the Cataract House was a legendary hotel and restaurant for decades. It opened in 1825 and became a significant element of the Underground Railroad, with the restaurant’s staff—many of whom were escaped slaves themselves—often helping to ferry other fugitives across the river to Canada. The hotel also hosted some of the most well-known Americans of the nineteenth century, including Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Jackson. Unfortunately, the building was badly damaged by a fire in 1945 and was demolished the following year. The hotel was located at the site of what is now Heritage Park in Niagara Falls, and a historic marker recognizing the Cataract House was placed in the park, across the street from the Red Coach Inn.

Historic Marker at the Site of the Cataract House (Underground Railroad)

Chief Clinton Rickard was a Tuscarora leader and founder of the Indian Defense League&nbsp;in 1926. He was born in 1882 on the Tuscarora Reservation near Sanborn, New York.&nbsp;Even though he lacked&nbsp;a formal education, Chief Rickard became known among many prominent and important influential people as an expert on American Indian&nbsp;legal history. In the early 1900s, he became a leading voice for Native American tribal sovereignty. He worked tirelessly to enforce existing treaties, including the provision that allowed free travel across the United States and Canadian border. The border was never been recognized or acknowledged by the Haudenosaunee people.&nbsp;

This statue honors Chief Clinton Rickard, Tuscarora leader in the early 20th century who is best known for his work as the founder of the Indian Defense League. The league fought to maintain Native American sovereignty for area tribes, including the right to travel freely between the United States and Canadian border. These rights had previously been granted to Native tribes as part of the Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain in 1794. 

Chief Clinton Rickard Statue

Calls to the create park began as early as 1834. There was a strong desire to clear the area of factories and hotels which took away from the natural beauty of the area. A state government authorized report in 1879, which was signed by the Vice President of the United States and the Governor General of Canada, among other prominent politicians, encouraged the state of New York to take action. The administration at the time did nothing, however. In the ensuing years, park supporters kept pressuring the state government. Finally, in 1885, by decree of eminent domain, the park was established and all of the structures on the property were demolished. New York was the first state to use the power of eminent domain to acquire private property for public, esthetic purposes.

Established in 1885, Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in the country. It is located on the eastern shore of the Niagara River. The park offers visitors several attractions and activities to learn about and view the falls. These include the visitor center, a 30-minute trolley ride, the Cave of the Winds tour (which takes visitors behind the falls wearing ponchos), the Maid of the Mist boat tour, the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, and an observation tower. The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as is also a National Historic Landmark.



Niagara Falls State Park

In 1759, French native Chabert Joncaire built a small loop canal south the falls to power a sawmill. This was the first-known attempt to use the falls for industrial use. In the early 1800s, brothers Augustus and Peter Porter bought this property and surrounding land. They built a gristmill and tannery and expanded the canal. Other companies built mills and factories arrived in the area beginning in the coming years. In 1847, Augustus Porter proposed building a canal that would direct some of the water downriver north of the falls. However, he and Peter died before the idea came to fruition.In 1853, the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power &amp; Manufacturing Company was established to build the canal. Construction began that year but the rising cost of the project resulted in the company going bankrupt and the work stopped over a year later. Two subsequent companies—the Niagara Falls Water Power Company and the Niagara Falls Canal Company—continued building the canal, which was completed in 1861. The Civil War prevented it from being used, however, and that continued until 1875 until one company built a gristmill. The first hydraulic plant at the site did not generate electricity but its water turbines powered the drive shafts and belts for the area's mills.As a result of failing to attract other clients, the Niagara Falls Canal Company went bankrupt and its interests were purchased by Jacob F. Schoellkopf in 1877. The next year, Schoellkopf founded the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company and enlarged the canal. In 1881, the company built the first hydroelectric power station in Niagara Falls (it became known as Station No. 1). The plant supplied electricity to mills, factories, stores, the city's streetcar system, and the offices of the Niagara Falls Gazette offices. The electricity also lit arc lights that illuminated the Falls. The company built Station No. 2 in 1896 at the bottom of the gorge to take advantage of the 210-foot drop. It housed four large turbines and was later expanded in 1904. Work on Station No. 3 began in 1905 and would be completed in stages by 1924. The company also built the wall to conceal the penstocks and demolished Station No. 2 in 1925. Calls for public oversight of hydroelectric power in New York began in the early 1900s. Governor Charles Evans Hughes and other state politicians believed that leasing the water rights to private companies was not in the best interest of the public. However, it was not until after World War I that this came to fruition. Congress passed the Federal Power Act in 1920, which created the Federal Power Commission (FPC). The FPC was authorized to issue 50-year licenses to public or private electricity companies that were located on federal land. In response, states were forced to create their own plans to retain control over navigable waterways. New York Governor (and future U.S. President) Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill in 1931 that created the Power Authority of State of New York, which became the first state to authorize a public power authority (it was later renamed the New York Power Authority). On that fateful day in June, 1956, the large wall started to crack at 10:30 a.m. In Powerhouses 3B and 3C, water began to seep in, the floors cracked, and window panes fell out. Workers diverted water away from the generators using sandbags and ditches they dug. The wall finally started to give way at around 5 p.m. Over the course of the next 30 minutes or so sections of the wall collapsed, pushing much of the two powerhouses into the gorge. Forty workers were in the powerhouses at the time but all but one, Richard Draper, managed to escape. While a number of theories were proposed to explain why the wall collapsed, no definitive cause was ever discovered. Powerhouse 3A, which was severely damaged by fire and did not collapse, was restored and back in operation in January 1957. The disaster served as the catalyst for the passage of the Lehman Bill, which was proposed in January 1956 by U.S. Senator Herbert Lehman from New York to build a new, much larger hydroelectric power station north of the Niagara Falls in the town of Lewiston. The new station would be controlled by the New York Power Authority as a public utility offering cheap electricity. The project was spearheaded by Robert A. Moses, who was appointed chairman of the Power Authority and believed that licensing power generation to private companies was not in the public's interest. Construction of the new station, which was named the Robert Moses Niagara Hydroelectirc Power Station, began in 1957 and was completed in 1961. Another facility, the Lewiston Pump Generating Plant was built to the east at the same time. Both work in conjunction and are known collectively as the Niagara Power Project. Construction of the station included developing and beautifying the Falls and surrounding area. The Schoellkopf Station stopped operating in 1961. In the coming years the site was cleared of remaining buildings and converted to how it appears today. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

The former Schoellkopf Power Station was an impressive facility. Originally built in 1874 and expanded in later years, it produced 450,000 kilowatts of power at its peak. It consisted of two levels. Three powerhouses (3A, 3B, and 3C) were located at the bottom and the upper level featured office buildings and forebays (manmade pools). The existing large stone wall built along the face of the gorge concealed the penstocks (tubes) that supplied water to Powerhouse 3A and includes an elevator shaft running between the two levels. On June 7, 1956, disaster struck. Water seeped from a part of the large wall, causing it crack and give way, sending water and rubble down in a massive earth and rock slide that demolished Powerhouses 3B and 3C. One worker died and the collapse caused a $100 million in damages in today's dollars. The site today is open to the public and is also used by the Maid of the Mist tour boat company.

Schoellkopf Power Station Site

The first post office building in Niagara Falls was built in 1867 and was used until the present building was erected in 1907 (it also had a custom house). Congress appropriated the funding for it in 1902 and doubled the amount the next year. The property was acquired that year as well and a Victorian house was demolished to clear the space. Construction began in 1905 and was completed in 1907. The building opened to the public on January 31, 1908. It was one of eight buildings in the state authorized to be built under the Public Buildings Omnibus Act of 1902. These other buildings were also designed in the French Neoclassical style. A addition was built behind the original structure in 1923.

This elegant building is the historic United States Post Office, which was constructed in 1907 and still operates today. It was designed by the former Office of the Supervising Architect of the Department of the Treasury, which, at the time, was led by Supervising Architect James Knox Taylor. The building is a fine example of French Neoclassical architecture with Beaux-Arts details. It features a rusticated, white marble exterior and a projecting main entrance pavilion with Ionic columns and topped by an entablature. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

United States Post Office

The congregation's origins date to 1913 when a group of nearly 100 residents led by J. Allen Johnson expressed their interest in establishing a Unitarian Universalist church. On January 4, 1914, a minister from Buffalo, Rev. Richard W. Boynton, came to Niagara Falls to preach to the group at the Niagara Falls Odd Fellows Hall. In the coming years, the group met occasionally in other locations in the city. Until the first permanent minister, Dr. Orville Swift, arrived in March 1920, various speakers from other Unitarian churches as well as students from the Meadville Theological School preached to the congregation.The congregation was officially established on October 17, 1920 and continued to gather in temporary locations until the present building was completed after just six months of construction. The stone used for the exterior was sourced from the excavation of the church basement. The random nature of the stone placement, creating what is called "herringbone effect," was on purpose. The interior, which features a stage and a proscenium arch, appears more like a theater than a church and this was also intentional. Swift wanted a building that didn't look like a church so it could more easily be sold in case it closed or, if in the future, the congregation wanted to erect a new building. Neither happened. In the 1950s the congregation's membership grew, which prompted, the congregation in 1955 to wall off the stage to add additional classrooms. The size of the congregation has varied in the coming decades.

The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Niagara was built in 1921 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Designed in the Neoclassical style, it was built of steel and concrete and features a unique, rough uncut limestone exterior, arched windows, and a two-story portico with Doric columns. It is home to a congregation founded in 1920.

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Niagara

Although no longer serving its original purpose, the Niagara Falls Armory remains an impressive landmark. Designed by state architect Isaac Perry in the Late Victorian style, it was built in 1895 to be the home of the First Battalion, Third Infantry Regiment of the National Guard. Like other armories in New York Perry designed, this armory looks like a fortress. It consists of two corner towers, an administration building, and a drill shed. The southwest tower is three stories tall and is perhaps the most distinctive feature of the building. The armory was designed to resemble a castle on purpose, to inspire patriotism and to remind residents of the authority of the federal government. Specifically, the armory was meant to discourage labor strikes, anti-government protests, and other disruptive activities that were common in this period. As of early 2019, the building appears to be unused and it is not clear what its future status holds. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. 

Niagara Falls Armory

Built in 1904 after two years of construction, the Niagara Falls Public Library was funded in part by steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), who donated funds for thousands of libraries all over the country. Collectively, they became known as Carnegie Libraries. Carnegie agreed to pay for the libraries on the condition that communities provide the land and agree to maintain and operate them. For the Niagara Falls library, he agreed to grant $50,000 and the city agreed to spend $7,000 per year to maintain it. The building no longer is used as a library and now houses city government offices. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. 

Niagara Falls History Walking Tour

Niagara Falls City Hall

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

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