Niagara Falls Ontario is located along the Niagara
Gorge on the western bank of the
Niagara River, which flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The Niagara River flows over Niagara Falls at
this location and creates a natural spectacle that attracts millions of
tourists each year. Niagara Falls is about 130 kilometers (81 miles) by
road from Toronto, which is across Lake Ontario to the north.
Tourism
started in the early nineteenth century. The falls became known as a natural
wonder, due in part to paintings by prominent American artists such as Albert
Bierstadt. Niagara Falls is the self-proclaimed “honeymoon capital of the
world.â€
With
a plentiful and inexpensive source of hydroelectric power from the waterfalls,
many electro-chemical and electro-metallurgical industries located there in the
early to mid-20th century.
By 1792-94, a village grew up near Fort Chippawa on Chippawa Creek near
the end of the new portage road from Queenston. In 1793, the creek was renamed
the Welland River. The village was largely destroyed 1812-14 when the British
and American forces fought for control of the Welland River. Portage traffic
revived after the war and continued until Chippawa became an outlet for the
original Welland Canal from 1829 to 1833. The first horse-powered railway in
Upper Canada was built to Niagara Falls in 1837-39.
Precipitated by the opening of the Welland
Canal in 1829, by the 1840s, Chippawa was a thriving town. A wide variety of
business establishments were located around Cummington Square. Chippawa
amalgamated with the City of Niagara Falls in 1970.
4892 Jepson Street – pediment above entrance4930 Jepson Street – turret4888 Hunter Street – This Queen Anne Revival style house was originally covered in clapboard and later with stucco. The square front tower is topped with a peaked roof and round pommel-like copper finial. Every other floor joist is a half log and the foundation walls appear to be earth and rubble.5049 Victoria Avenue – The Niagara Armoury was built in 1911 in the style of a late medieval fortress. It features simulated defense towers at the corners, a crenelated parapet and a massive front entrance formed by a Tudor Gothic arch. The red brick facade has limestone detailing such as windowsills surrounds capping and corbels now covered by paint. It was designed by T. W. Fuller, a government military architect and son of Thomas Fuller who designed the old Post Office (SEE DP.9). It was one of 11 armories built during a period of reform and expansion in the Canadian Militia (1896-1911) and was a recruitment and training center during the First World War. The building now houses the Niagara Military Museum.4673 Victoria Avenue – St. Patrick’s Rectory – oriel window, varied roof line, semi-circular window4223 Terrace Avenue – Glenview Mansion – 1870 – The house was built by John Drew on his 75-acre farm which he purchased in 1869. In 1881, he sold the house to Dr. John Ferguson who was twice elected Member of Parliament in 1882 and 1887. R. P. Slater, who served as mayor of Niagara Falls in 1899-1901, 1906-07, and 1909, purchased the house and lands in 1893. This large home has a square-plan main building and two rear wings. It was built in the Italianate style, and has a projecting central bay capped by a closed pediment and bay windows flanking the front entrance. Originally the roof had a belvedere surrounded by a wrought iron railing; it has been replaced by dormers. Brick was used to produce decorative elements such as quoins, window labels and the four large chimneys. Much of the brick has been covered with stucco. 3289 St. Paul Avenue – Alexander-Robinson House – 1821 – The house was owned by Susannah Alexander, widow of Hugh Alexander (1780-1817), the first merchant to open a store in Stamford. The original 2.5-acre lot later held a fruit farm, and the house offered accommodation for tourists beginning in the 1920s. The house was owned by the Robinson Family from 1913-1995. The central part of the house was built earlier with squared timber walls lined with brick. The north and south gable ends were added later and the structure covered in clapboard and given its Italianate styling. In 1969, the interior was entirely renovated, the front porch was replaced and the exterior was covered in stucco.3121 St. Paul Avenue – Stamford Presbyterian Church – 1871 – The original Presbyterian meeting house, built in 1791 of logs, served the earliest settlers of the area, many of whom were of Scottish descent who chose lands on top of the escarpment. The churchyard to the south, called “God’s Half Acre” when it opened in 1784 is the resting place of many of Stamford’s founding citizens. The present church was built on the foundation of an earlier structure. Features of note are the balustrade on top and triple lancet windows on the front of the tower, and round stained-glass window above the main door. The tower was originally three-sided with a back added later and each corner was once topped by a pinnacle.3360 St. Patrick Avenue – Mitchell Cottage – 1805 – Also known as Stamford Cottage, the original cabin was built on Crown Land granted to the Presbyterian Church to assist early settlers. It was later owned by John Hawkins from 1837 to 1853, and it is to him that the 1840s appearance of the house is attributed. The house was constructed as a log cabin (smaller than the present structure) with heavy timber beams and a stone foundation. In the 1840s, an extension was built on the south end, and Classical Revival elements such as eave returns and a “Georgian Wilderness” type door were added. The exterior is covered with stucco.
