Niagara Falls Then and Now: Old Storefronts on Queen St. (Part 1 of 10)

This ten-part series of posts walks eastward along the north-side of Queen St., in Niagara Falls, Ontario, starting from Buckley Ave. towards St. Lawrence Ave. Click on photos to enlarge!*
below: Looking at the north-east corner of Buckley Ave. and Queen St. in Niagara Falls Ont., as it was on Oct.4, 1964. On the corner at left is the Old Vienna bakery, with its windows soaped, possibly moving out; next to the right (east) is Kindy's Furs; then Brocher's Pastry Shop at right.
above: Oct.4, 1964 - Brocher's is at left, then El Win Tiny Togs, then at right Brock's Music and Toyland, with a neon sign over the sidewalk.

above: still looking north-east along Queen St., in May 1965 - the corner bakery shop is still vacant; next store east is Kindy's; then Brocher's Pastry Shop; next to it is El Win Tiny Togs; next to the east at the far right is Brock's. On the rooftop of the next building (to the east of Brock's) is a large billboard ad for R.C. Young Realty and Insurance.

Above: date unknown; Kindy's is at the left, Brocher's Pastries has moved, El Win has moved, Brock's is at the right.

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Below: date unknown; closer view of Brock's Records and Toys, with its neon sign now gone.
above: Dec.22, 2008 - same building where Brock's Records and Toys had once been.
above: Apr.16, 2009 - same view, facade being painted white; the shingle siding has been removed, and the brick-arched side doorway can be seen again. above: Apr.17, 2009 - same view, a final coat of sky-blue paint now covers the brick storefront

above: same view, Aug.7, 2009 - a yellow awning, new black-lettered sign and trim added

above: Feb.8, 2009 - the same row of storefronts, standing on the north-east corner of Buckley Ave. and Queen St.

above: Sept.28, 1965 - continuing east along Queen St. is the Frontier business equipment store; upstairs were the offices of R.C.Young Realty and Insurance. To the left (west) was Brock's Records. To the right was a Sherwin Williams paint store.

above: same view, Feb.9, 2009

above: Oct.4, 64 - continuing east, Frontier is seen at the far left; next was Allemang's Sherwin Williams Paints, then R. Greco Tailors. Upstairs were the law offices of Logan and Knight.

above: same location, Dec.22, 2008.

above: Oct.4, 1964 - continuing eastward along Queen St., next to the right (east) from R. Greco Tailors is The Cinderella Shoppe; to the far right is a corner of the Mayflower Restaurant.

above: same location, Dec.22, 2008; The Cinderella Shoppe was once where the centre building, now with two floors, is seen.

above: Oct.4, 1964 - The Cinderella Shoppe is at the far left (west); next is the Mayflower Restaurant; next is Tom's Linens, seen with the house still behind it on whose front yard the store was built; and at the far right is the corner of Dag's Meats.

above: Dec.22, 2008 - same location. The gable of the home behind what used to be Tom's Linens can still be seen. Dag's Meats is long gone. To the left, atop its roof, beside today's satellite dishes, can be seen another iconic remnant of old Queen St. - the now-tattered and rusty metal stylized billowing sails, which once beckoned hungry landlubbers to the old Mayflower Restaurant.

above: Sept. 1966 - still looking at the same location; at the far right, Dag's had fresh sirloin steaks on sale for 89 cents a pound; Tom's had a fresh 'oriental-style' font on their store sign; the Mayflower Restaurant's sails are fronted by yet another sign - this one was hanging over the sidewalk, advertising corned beef on rye in glorious neon! Can it get any better?

above: Sept. 1977 - same view, eleven years later. The Mayflower has a new modernized facade, which now carries over to cover the old Tom's signage. Dag's Meats is still at the right (now without the round Coke sign which had been on the right-hand side of their sign, where the brackets are seen.)

above: same view, Feb.8, 2009. Where Dag's once was at the right, is vacant.

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below: Jun.29, 2009 - the former Dag's is now occupied by Voices, an Aboriginal arts and gifts shop.

below: Oct.4, 1964 - at the north-west corner of Queen St. and St. Lawrence was Oscar's Italian Imports, with the two Pepsi signs. Dag's Meat Market, with the Coke sign, is at the left.

above: same view on Mar.3, 2009 - the former Oscar's, now with a shallow gable roof, sits quietly curtained on the corner, with the two Pepsi signs long gone.

At the far right distance is the corner of Park St. and St. Lawrence Ave., where a house had recently been torn down during the week of Feb.16-20, 2009. (see: Niagara Falls Then and Now: house lost on Park Lane ) The mound of earth seen in was trucked in to fill the basement excavation after the house was demolished.

Recent photos by R. Bobak, older photos from Niagara Falls Ont. Library Archives (NFLA)
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For the next post in this ten-part series on old downtown Niagara Falls, Ont., see: Old storefronts on Queen St., Part Two
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Niagara Falls Then and Now: the Queen - Capitol Theatre

above: an ad in the Niagara Falls Review from Apr.12, 1938, showing that 'Mannequin' starring Joan Crawford and Spencer Tracy was playing at the Capitol theatre, with Wallace Beery's 'The Bad Man of Brimstone' coming up. It was on Apr.12, 1938 that a large part of the Honeymoon Bridge sank in the Niagara River. The bridge had collapsed onto the frozen Niagara River back in Jan.1938, and sat on top of the ice until it began to melt in April. The next day, on Apr.13, 1938, the rest of the bridge floated downriver, remaining on top of the ice-pack until it finally sank about a mile downstream!

above: the proposed view of the Queen Theatre as seen in the Niagara Falls Daily Record, Oct.2, 1912. It was located at 461 Queen St.

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below: this photo from the Niagara Falls Library, said to be taken in 1920, shows the Queen Theatre on the north-east corner of Queen St. and St. Clair Ave, in Niagara Falls, Ont. The theatre was built in 1913 by A.A. Huttelmayer.  Interestingly, there was an Albert Huttelmayer who in 1911 was the manager (or owner?) the Sheldon theatre in Buffalo, at 646-648 Walden Ave. This has to be the same guy who built the Queen theatre two years later; I wonder if the two theatres were part of a chain? Can't find much info on this entrepreneur or on the Sheldon either.
A poster for "The Goddess" is advertised over the door - I wonder if this is the Vitagraph film series starring the prolific silent stars Anita Stewart (as Celestia) and Earle Williams? The Goddess was released in 1915 as a 15 part serial, so I wonder if these episodes were still being played here, 5 years later. At the left is an ad for the comedic duo "Ham and Bud" - starring the tall Lloyd Hamilton and the short Bud Duncan. They released a spate of one-reel films with the Kalem Company during 1915 to 1917, after which their act was split up. So again, if this photo is actually from 1920, then the theatre was playing a Ham and Bud film which would have already been 3 or more years old. It may be that this photo is not from 1920 at all, but could be even from 1915 - when episodes of both The Goddess and Ham and Bud were freshly released. But again, maybe this wasn't a first run movie house, and they were playing older films as they got them - it would be interesting to find out which film circuit this theatre was on. An interesting coincidence concerning the companies that made these two films advertised on the posters in this photo, is that the Vitagraph company bought out the Kalem company in 1917.  Also, note that to the right (east) houses - still with front lawns! - can be seen facing onto Queen St.. It was on that lawn next door that a new Woolworth's would be built in the 30's, it was already there in 1932. below: same corner, May 1925. The Queen Theater shows a new canopied marquee.

below: same view, as seen on Jun.14, 1964. By then called the Capitol Theatre, the former Queen Theatre building was demolished during July-Aug. 1964. At that time, the neighbouring building at the right (where the homes with the front lawns were seen previously) was the deco-style Woolworth's building.

below: 1964 - an interior view of the Capitol Theatre's screen curtain, with advertisements for local businesses.

At the left were ads for "Niagara Falls City Dairy"; "Criger's Garage and Machine Shop"; "The Evening Review, only daily in Welland County"; "The Electric Shop" at 1863 Ferry St., which advertised "The General Electric refrigerator is here"; "Harvey Markle Coal Co. Ltd." at 249 Park St., which advertised "Jeddo, Scranton, Lehigh Smokeless, and Cannel" coal, and "good coke"; and "Spring Water Bottling Works" reminded patrons to "order a case today" at 1730 Ferry St., or by dailing "539" (!!) on the telephone. (Click on photos to enlarge!)

above: at the centre were ads from "Glasgow Shoe Parlors" at 301 Queen St., "opposite City Hall"; "Bouck Bros." advertised "Siebeling All-Tread Tires", as well as that they were dealers for "Chevrolet Oldmobile and Oakland cars, Victoria and Huron Sts."; "The Home Beautiful Shop" at Welland and Queen St. advertised "Window Shades and Draperies of Every Description".

At the right were ads from: "J.K. Stout Haulage"; "Pew's Drugs...opposite theatre"; "Dobbie's" had "flower gifts of love, sympathy, appreciation congratulations...flowers by wire, no matter how far, phone 45"; "Fenwick's Hardware"; what possibly read 'Frontier Printing Co.', "Commercial and Society Printers...not large, but always busy", at 245 (or 243?) Park St.; and "Walker Stores. Ltd." on Queen was advertising "Puritan Maid Hosiery".

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below: The library dates this photo of the Capitol Theatre as Mar.16, 1965, but, the theatre had already been torn down in the summer of 1964 (!!). The marquee shown is still the older rounded one, and to the east we can see that Woolworth's is already there. When was movie star Jack Oakie popular? Well: then this could possibly be anywhere from the mid-thirties to the mid-fifties! Seeing as the streetcar tracks are still in place on Queen St., then the date can at least be narrowed somewhat to be from before the mid-1940's. For example, Jack Oakie co-starred with Fred MacMurray in the movie "Champagne Waltz", which opened at the Capitol on Apr.12, 1937 - maybe this photo was from 1937!

above: this shot, taken Jan.8, 1958, shows the Capitol Theater as having an angled marquee at that time, as compared to the earlier rounded one. This view looks north up St. Clair Ave., across Queen St., towards Park St. in the distance.

above: colour view, date unknown, the old Capitol Theater building prior to demolition. (possibly summer 1964?)

above: Oct.4, 1964, same view as above - the vacant corner site where the former Capitol Theater once stood. Note the Woolworth building's west side wall was fully revealed for the first time since it had been built in the early 1930's. Interestingly, there are clearly windows seen on both the first and second storeys of the building, which had faced the former theater's wall. There must have been a narrow gap between the walls of the Woolworth's and the theater, possibly to allow for an emergency fire egress for theater patrons. {otherwise, when Woolworth's was building their new structure, why would they place windows directly facing a brick wall? So, there must of been some kind of narrow passageway there on the Capitol Theater side, where Woolworth's could still install usable windows on its building, if not to get a view, but at least for ventilation purposes.}
It seems that when the new bank was later built, its wall was built right up to the Woolworth's wall, thereby blocking those main floor Woolworth side windows which were closer to Queen St., and possibly also full blocking the second storey windows as well.  Even in the 1964 photo, it clearly shows that the street level side windows were already bricked in, but the second floor windows still had glass.There is a chance that the second story windows were not completely covered up and ended up still partially above the new bank's actual roof.
above: Mar.18, 1965 - the 'new'  Lincoln Trust building on the site of the former Queen/Capitol Theatre; to the right (east) is the Woolworth's store. At the far left are seen ladders and work equipment.

above: colour view, date unknown; the 'new' Lincoln Trust now has some landscaping seen at the left. The letter "W" of the red Woolworth's sign is seen at the right, above the striped canvas canopy.

above: same view, Dec.22, 2008, photo by R. Bobak. Now known as the TD Canada Trust building, the original angled roof-edge fascia has been squared-off and covered. The old Woolworth's building still stands next door, but the store had long since closed. For most of the nineties, the former Woolworth's space had been turned into a nightclub, and currently, as of Feb.2009, still sits vacant. A dinner theatre is possibly in store for the location. {"The Buttery" restaurant eventually moved into the space, but unfortunately the business soon closed. The Buttery had formerly been located in Niagara On The Lake, in the building which (as of 2015) now houses Corks Restaurant.}
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Niagara Falls Then and Now: Old Storefronts on Queen St. (Part 7 of 10)

Photos of Queen St. before the Hatch building.

This post looks at the south-side of Queen St. in Niagara Falls, Ont., from Erie Ave. westwards towards Ontario Ave.

below: The old Niagara Falls fire hall under demolition in June, 1966. It stood, facing Queen St., just west of, and across a small lane, from the City Hall, which stood on the south-west corner of Queen St. and Erie Ave. This view looks across the lane at the north-east corner of the fire hall. Queen St. would be to the right. Behind at the right is seen the gable of Gold's variety.

above: looking west at the south-side of Queen St., from a vantage point across Queen St., standing just west of Erie Ave. The old firehall is at the far left, next to the west is Gold's variety store (with the white gabled front). Way down at the west end of Queen St. is the tall steeple of St. Patrick's church. Date of this photo unknown (from NFLA)

above: May, 1965 - front of firehall which faced Queen St. To the left, out of frame, would have been the Niagara Falls City Hall, which was on the south-west corner of Queen St. and Erie Ave.

above: May 1965 - still looking at the south-side of Queen St., the old firehall is at the far left, Gold's (now with a brick facade covering the former gable) is next to it, followed by the J and P Barber Shop, and then Moodie's Bakery, with the neat red-letter-on-black-vitrolite stainless-trimmed storefront. above: May, 1965 - continuing looking at the south-side of Queen St., next to Moodie's Bakery(seen at the far left (east) of photo) was "Cole's, Jewelers since 1890".

above: May, 1965 - continuing looking at the south-side of Queen St. in a westerly direction; next to Cole's Jewelers was a storefront with a sign above which read "Pacific Financial Loans". Next, a sign with the old Pepsi logo showed that "Bing's Billiards" was downstairs; another sign read "Niagara Athletic Club". Jack's Tent City store is at the right (west) of the photo (according to the info from the library accompanying this particular photo, this is described as the T. Eaton store; but, Eaton's on Queen St. officially opened (in the space where Jack's is shown), later on Jun.9, 1966, signifying an error in the photo's library description) To the far right of the photo above is seen a bit of the east wall of the Toronto Dominion Bank building.

Interestingly, in the photo above, on the windows between Cole's Jewelers and Pacific Financial (just below and to the right of the word "jewelers") can be seen the reflection of the storefronts across the street on the north-side of Queen St.! On the door of the Pacific Financial storefront is a reflection of the red Coke sign which was on the Palms Restaurant sign across the street; and beside it (to the left) is the reflection of My Country Delicatessen's sign, as seen in the photo below, which was also taken in May 1965:above: May 1965, looking at the north-side of Queen St., just east of Ontario Ave. At the far left (west) of photo is the Bank of Montreal building, which stood (and still stands, as of Feb.2009!) on the north-east corner of Queen St. and Ontario Ave. My Country Delicatessen is seen at the right, then the Palms Restaurant, then another Jack's, where the sign reads "Army and Navy Discount Stores"

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below: Jun.9, 1966 - official opening day for the Queen St. Eaton's. (The old Eaton's building on Victoria Ave., where the main Niagara Falls Library now is, was demolished between Oct.1971-Jan.1972) This is where Jack's Tent City was earlier (seen in the second previous photo above), now spiffed up with some new siding. A part of the "Niagara Athletic Club" sign, (also seen earlier, above the entrance to Bing's Billiards) is at the far left of below photo.

below: Aug.5, 1965, looking at the Toronto Dominion Bank building (south-east corner of Queen St. and Ontario Ave.) Note that to its left (east) Jack's Tent City is occupying the space.above: Jul.4, 1966, same view - now Eaton's is next door to the TD Bank. Behind the bank at the far right there appears to be an Oldsmobile showroom and lot.
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below: Sept. 1986 - still looking at the south-east corner of Queen St. and Ontario Ave. The TD bank on the corner was then a credit union, TD having moved at some point to the north-east corner of Queen St. and St.Clair Ave. The Bank of Montreal is seen at the left, on the north-east corner of Queen St. and Ontario Ave. The firehall and tower behind Gold's variety are gone, demolished in June 1966.

Interestingly, in this shot below, the Gold's building (at the centre left) is again shown with a gable-front, without the brick facade, which was seen earlier above, in the third shot from the top. (This poses a question whether the original building was gabled at the front, then at some point a square brick facade was built, and then later, the brick facade was taken down again, going back to the gable. The second photo from the top, the date of which is unknown, shows Gold's without a brick facade; then in May 1965 Gold's is seen with a brick facade; then in Sept. 1986 it is seen without a brick facade - so was the unknown-date photo at the top taken before May 1965, or was it after? When was the Gold's brick facade built, and when was it removed?)

above: same view, Feb.3, 2009. All the buildings shown previously, once located on the south-side of Queen St., have since been demolished, from the old firehall westward up to the corner of Ontario Ave. On the corner now stands the 'new' 1994 (former) Ministry of Tourism/later Hatch engineering building. The same Bank of Montreal building still soldiers on across the street at the left.

above: Gold's variety, as seen in 1993 (with a gabled front). The building is boarded up and the windows are covered, in preparation for eventual demolition for the government "tourism ministry" building. {I look back at some of these photos and find it hard to believe that I remember many of these buildings well, and that I had been an actual customer there at Gold's...}

Old photos in this study from the Niagara Falls, Ont. Library Archive; recent photos by R.Bobak.

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See the next post in this ten-part series at: Niagara Falls, Old storefronts on Queen St., Part Eight

Or, go back to the beginning of this series at: PART ONE
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Thanks for visiting Right In Niagara!
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McGuinty Liberal hypocrites again cut health-care: MPP Jim Bradley vanishes into a Cone Of Silence

John Robbins wrote in “Hospital plan here to stay, minister” (St. Catharines Standard, Jan.29, 2009):

“What's done is done. But there's more to come.
Ontario Health Minister David Caplan says the Niagara Health System's controversial plan to restructure hospital services across the region is here to stay.
But, said the minister, he's prepared to work to find solutions to "legitimate concerns" about how health care is delivered in Niagara and how patients access services here.
Caplan made his comments following a meeting Wednesday morning with a delegation of some of the most vocal critics of the NHS hospital improvement plan, including Fort Erie Mayor Doug Martin and former mayors John Teal and Wayne Redekop.
"I would characterize the meeting, certainly as cordial," Caplan said in a telephone interview. "They were very blunt and put forward the views and concerns they have related to the NHS proposal and the (Local Health Integration Network's) adoption of the hospital improvement plan."
He was very clear with them that I was going to be supporting the decision of the LHIN, but that was only one step that I would entertain. Other constructive suggestions or other ways that we could improve services for all of the residents of (Niagara) region ... we would very much desire that they would be a partner in that endeavour."
Caplan's decision not to intervene to block or substantially alter the hospital improvement plan effectively means the NHS can move forward with detailed implementation planning, including laying the groundwork for closure of emergency departments in Fort Erie and Port Colborne and maternity and pediatric wards in Niagara Falls and Welland.
While he believes it's now time to move forward, Caplan said the hospital improvement plan is not an end in itself. Improving quality of care at Niagara hospitals, and making the six hospital sites function as a integrated delivery system, means looking at the the larger picture, he said.
"There's more to improving health care than one (plan)," said Caplan. "It's just a first step.... Wayne Redekop in particular talked about family physicians, talked about transportation issues. I said to him those are very legitimate concerns and ones that we can work on together to develop solutions that work for the people, not only of Fort Erie, but all of Niagara region."
Martin said his position after the meeting remains the same as it was before he went in to see the health minister. The town will continue to press the province to protect services at Douglas Memorial Hospital, he said.
"Minister Caplan has indicated his is supporting the decision of the LHIN, therefore without any intervention by anyone (the plan) will go forward and as planned," said Martin. "I believe, from my point of view, the next step will be to go directly to the premier (Dalton McGuinty)."
The Fort Erie delegation's meeting with Caplan was arranged by Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor, who also attended the meeting to voice his concerns with certain aspects of the plan.
"I was disappointed," Craitor said Wednesday evening.
"I've been trying desperately to get across that why I'm supporting Fort Erie is not politics. I really sincerely believe we're not doing the right thing for the people of Fort Erie.
"I was hoping that we could put on hold for a period of time that part of the (hospital improvement plan) for Fort Erie to develop something that would be mutually acceptable to the people of Fort Erie and to the political leaders and to the medical professionals."
Craitor said he and Martin have agreed to meet with staff from the minister's office -- an offer extended by Caplan himself -- for further discussions.
"But Doug (Martin) made it very clear to me that there's a principle here and they're not deviating from their principle."
Niagara Falls Coun. Carolynn Ioannoni, chairwoman of an ad hoc city committee opposed to the plan, said she had been hoping Caplan would accept an invitation to come to city council to state his position on the hospital improvement plan. Up until Wednesday, the minister had been largely silent on the issue, preferring not to interfere with the public consultations on the plan that started in July or deliberations by the LHIN board. Such a visit by Caplan would likely be "redundant" now, said Ioannoni, given the minister's public remarks.
Ioannoni, a long-time Liberal supporter, said she feels disheartened by how the government has handled the issue.
"And the sad part is we have an MPP -- who's fighting for the residents -- (but) whose government has dumped him, basically."
She said her committee will continue to oppose the plan, although she couldn't say for certain what its next step will be.
"Maybe you have to go to McGuinty," Ioannoni said.

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"Go to McGuinty"??!

It’s like these Liberal dimbulbs don’t get it - it’s time FOR McGUINTY 'TO GO' - along with his phony Liberal 'hospital plan'.

This 'hospital plan which is here to stay' consists of nothing more than cuts and underfunding, not only to the Niagara Health System, but also in the rest of Ontario.

Liberal MPP Kim Craitor is apparently 'disappointed'. . .really, by what? By his own failed Liberal party politics, by his own Liberal health-care duplicity?

Wake up!!

If Kim Craitor really wants us to seriously believe that his concerns somehow aren't political (yeah, sure!) then what Craitor should do is resign from McGuinty's Liberal government and sit as an independent MPP at Queen's Park. At this point in his political career, Craitor has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, by becoming a true thorn in the side of the McGuinty health-care statists. That would gain him and his cause immeasurable respect, to the chagrin of the smug, irresponsive McGuinty Liberals who have "dumped him".

Being Liberal sure worked out well (as in egg-in-the-face) for Port Colborne’s mayor Vance Badawey, too, didn’t it?

And now, Ioannoni feels “disheartened” by her own smug party’s Liberal health care duplicity. Really?!!

These Grits wanted demagogic monopoly state-run health-care, well now, that’s what they got – fittingly, they are now themselves victimized by their own Liberal bait-and-switch health-care policies. Who are they going to complain to?? Their own Liberal Health Minister David Caplan couldn’t give a shit about Fort Erie, even to his own deluded-Liberal political stalwarts; the Liberals care even less about the concerns of citizens.

Premier Dalton McGuinty’s monopoly health-care machine is running un-checked and out of control. Liberals continue to cut health-care throughout Ontario . . .

[Example - Niagara Falls Review, Feb.4, 2009: “The Niagara Health System is shedding jobs, trimming expenses and searching for new revenue in an attempt to wash the red ink out of the balance sheet. In a first round of budget cuts announced Tuesday, officials at the cash-strapped hospital corporation announced up to 90 positions – 50 nursing and 40 clerical and clinical support jobs – will be impacted, as the NHS slashes spending by $8 million.”

Hamilton Spectator, Feb.3, 2009: “St. Joseph's Healthcare plans to lay off the equivalent of about 15 full-time workers as it struggles to eliminate a $12-million deficit. The cuts come as part of a cost-savings plan announced yesterday that also includes such measures as curbing sick time and overtime pay.”]

. . . while still pretending, after five years at the helm of a majority government, that it’s somehow Mike Harris’s fault!

St. Catharines Liberal MPP Jim Bradley, health-care monopolist and staunch supporter of Liberal health-care cuts, is, once again, conspicuously missing from news reports when Liberals are called to give their reactions and responses. Did the Niagara Falls Review even bother to call Good Ole Jim Bradley to request his comments? After all, he is only a McGuinty cabinet minister, the only one in Niagara. Is Bradley disheartened? There are practically no news reports from the St. Catharines Standard either, about Bradley’s reaction to his own government’s health-care cuts, or his response to his fellow Liberal’s concerns.

That Bradley’s ideologically-retarded Liberals are purposefully cutting health-care within their failing government-run monopoly, while also making it illegal for Ontarians to obtain their health-care privately, should be seen as a criminal act.
 There ought to be some Liberals here in Niagara, neighbours to Jim Bradley, who are now on the cusp of an epiphany, of finally seeing their own party’s sickening Liberal Healthcare Duplicity.
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Niagara Falls Then and Now: Clifton Hill and Oneida Lane

Below: Aug.9, 2005 - Looking at the north-east corner of Clifton Hill and Oneida Lane, at the old Hilltop Motel. (this photo from NFLA) I believe that this building was also once known as the Pilgrim Motel.

above: same view, Feb.20, 2008 - this former hotel structure is seen being gutted down to its steel framework, and then rebuilt with a much taller top floor. The Casino Niagara tower is in the centre background. Photo by R. Bobak

above: Feb.28, 2008, the walls and steel roof have been removed
above: Mar.31, 2008

above: Apr.14, 2008 , the steel wall columns have been extended at the top to create extra ceiling height on the top floor. New roof beams are in place.
above: Apr.29, 2008, new steel roof trusses are set in place on the newly-raised roof beams.

above: Aug.29, 2008 cladding and interior work underway

above: Oct.22, 2008

above: Jan.7, 2009.

above: Jun.3, 2009 - the Dave and Buster's signs are installed. Previous above nine photos by R. Bobak