Niagara Falls, Then and Now, Buildings lost, Buildings found (PART NINE)

below: ca.1932 - looking east down Bridge St. towards River Rd.; the Whirlpool bridge is at the left, with a steam engine just crossing in from the States; the Michigan Central is at the right. Note streetcar tracks in the centre of Bridge St., and a sign for the Royal Hotel, a Lunch sign, and what looks to be a Queen's Restaurant sign along the right.

above: Nov.26. 2009 - same view, the Royal Hotel is long gone, Simon's Restaurant is now where the Lunch sign was.

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below: Sept.20, 1927 - looking northward along River Rd. under the Michigan Central railroad bridge. This bridge was still practically brand-new, having just been opened in 1925, replacing the Cantilever Bridge. In the distance is the Whirlpool bridge; in the foreground is the International Railway Co. streetcar station; at the left, with its edge visible behind the bridge, is a bit of the corner of the Elgin Hotel.

above: same view, May 2008

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below: Sept.20, 1927 - looking south along River Rd. - the Whirlpool bridge is in the foreground, with the "Million Dollar Highway" sign painted on the bridge girders, with an arrow pointing to the United States. In the distance the Michigan Central bridge can be seen, with a freight train on it. At the right distance, on the south-west corner of Bridge St. and River Rd., is the Elgin Hotel. Note people sitting on benches under the bridge columns; note a Great Gorge Route streetcar in the left distance by the IRC station, and also what appears to be a boxcar on the tracks.

above: same view, Oct.5, 2009. Workers reface the bridge columns where people once sat on benches under the bridge.

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below: Sept.20, 1927 - a closer view of the Whirlpool Bridge, looking northward along River Rd, from the IRC station. Note the streetcar in the right distance

above: same view, Oct.21, 2009. The Bridge Commission building, with its tall copper green gable, can be seen at the left, behind the bridge, in both above shots. The streetcar tracks once ran where the grassed area is at the right, which now is the Nexus vehicle entrance lane to the Whirlpool Bridge.

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below: Sept.20, 1927 - same area as above, looking at the Whirlpool Bridge, again from the south, from underneath the IRC streetcar station's passenger platform. The tracks and the border office are seen along the right.

below: Sept.20, 1927 - looking south along River Rd. from underneath the Michigan Central bridge.

above: same view, Oct.22, 2009

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below: looking at the new Niagara Falls Bus Terminal at the Rainbow Bridge Plaza, in the fall of 1942. It appears work is still being carried out at the bottom left, where flagstones are being installed. In the left distance is seen the Oakes Garden, opened in 1938. In the right distance a building can be seen (facing onto Falls Ave.) which was located just north of the rear of the Foxhead hotel; a sign on the building partially reads "Fireproof Storage". In 1945 there was a "Victoria Park Garage Ltd." located at 1739 Falls Ave., which advertised "storage" - wonder if this was an indoor parking garage built for tourists? In the far right distance can be seen the tudor-siding of the Foxhead hotel.

above: Oct.14, 2009, same view; the former Foxhead has now become a tower in the right distance; the bus terminal is gone, the building at the near right is a recent duty-free store which is located at the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge.

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below: ca.1942-46; looking at the lawns of the Rainbow Plaza; at the far right on the upper deck is the Bus Terminal which was seen in the second-previous above photo. At the upper-left, seen standing in the middle of River Rd., is the Clifton Gate Memorial Arch, which was opened on Jun.18, 1938. In the centre-right distance is the Oakes Gardens.

above: same view, Oct.14, 2009

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below: ca.1960 - looking west up Clifton Hill from Falls Ave.; The Foxhead hotel is at the far right, some of its olde-tudor facade is seen at the upper right. Further in the right distance is the Tussaud Wax museum with Blondin walking the tightrope across Clifton Hill. Tussaud's is now in a new place on Victoria Ave. Note the hill at the left (which is now built up with shops) is still seen as it was from the days when the Clifton Place Bush/Zimmerman estate stood on the site, see here.

above: same view, Sept.29, 2009

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below: Jun.9, 2007 - the former Borden Dairy building, Niagara Rainbow Division, under renovation at 1195 Magdalen St. Note the giant stylized concrete milk bottle which was at the centre of the building. Roadside architecture doesn't get much better than that! The dairy structure was built in 1928 as Cairns Creamery, was bought out by Bordens in 1930, and closed around 1974.

above: same view, Sept.1, 2009, the Sterling spa hotel now occupies the former dairy.

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See more in this series at Niagara Then and Now, Buildings Lost and Found, PART TEN
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Thanks for visiting Right In Niagara!
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