The image above of Main Street, Niagara Falls, NY, is courtesy Google Maps’ Street View.
We spontaneously dropped everything today and made a day trip out to Burlington’s Ikea and, beyond that, Niagara Falls. We even crossed the border and paid a visit to Niagara Falls, New York. We had hoped to see the falls from the American side, for a change, but we’d arrived too late for the light to be any good. However, we did end up driving through the city, particularly its downtown, and it was an interesting experience, to say the least.
A friend of mine, James Dibenedetto, told me about how depressed the American city is, but you don’t really appreciate it until you drive through. There is a significant industrial feel, here, and all of the power lines, not to mention the humungous power station might still provide a lot of jobs, but downtown Niagara Falls feels like it’s being crushed under its economic burdens.
I’d earlier described Niagara Falls, Ontario, as being a town with a split personality. It has two distinct downtowns: one for the tourists which, while well populated, is somewhat kitchy, and the one for the residents, which is somewhat rundown. But even the run down downtown had a leg up on the downtown of Niagara Falls, New York. I saw buildings boarded up, and a town that basically rolled up the sidewalks after 5 p.m. on a Friday. Hardly anybody was walking the streets, despite the various attempts that had been made to foster a street life.
And, to my mind, the state of Niagara Falls is even more tragic given that the city appears to have more history behind it. I saw some beautiful small-scale commercial buildings dating from the twenties and the thirties. I saw brick facades that addressed the street corners at a very human scale. If Niagara Falls, New York, could ever turn things around, it would have an inventory of excellent building stock to create a vibrant, striking downtown — something which its cousin across the border does not really have.
But crossing the river across the Rainbow Bridge told the story. The American side was basically dark, while the Canadian side was lit up like a Christmas tree. I realize that the Canadian side has the advantage of having a better view of the falls, but could that alone be responsible for how much they’ve been able to capitalize on it all? Can that alone be responsible for the American side’s depression?
Further Images
November 14, 2009 9:17 AM | Reply
Niagara Falls USA is in the state it is in, not because of the city’s view facing the falls, but more to do with the way the city does business with people and the fact that it used to be an industrial town. Being born and raised there, I could give you a million reasons as to its decline.
November 15, 2009 9:29 PM | Reply
In the pics of Niagara Falls, Ont.: Rosberg’s department store just burned down this month. My grandfather bought me gifts there (I think I still have a Rosberg’s tie box). Rosberg’s daughter was Barbara Frum. Those are the parts of the Falls that I was familiar with — my family avoided the tourist area as much as possible.
November 16, 2009 10:23 AM | Reply
James,
I was disheartened to see the “real” photos of Niagara Falls, Ontario, but not surprised. Many towns and cities in Ontario have depressed sections of their historic cores. In my view, the key problem is population density. As seen with many of the photos, the upper stories of the historic buildings are no longer in use. No one lives close to the main street. As a result there is little pedestrian traffic. Moreover, the people who do live in these areas often do not have the financial wherewithal to keep street-side shops and business in business. The remedy: build higher in the core.
Among other problems with downtown cores, they can be costly and difficult to manage effectively. It is far cheaper and easier for a town council to allow for the building of a big box plaza than to have to deal with a historic high street with multiple owners and interests (not to mention parking problems). To maintain a vibrant and clean looking downtown core that is well used by the local population requires constant management and the use of public and private funds. Some towns are more successful than others. Politically, people have to buy into to a particular vision of their town and then be prepared to pay the tax dollars. With that said, not every historic core can be “fixed”. It might be better to start over. Geography and, well, history give places a very particular destiny that sometimes cannot change despite best intentions.
November 16, 2009 11:21 AM | Reply
Niagara Falls, NY has been the victim of some of the same happenstance, and some of the same mistakes as other U.S. rustbelt cities, and perhaps in some ways similar to the misfortunes of Brantford in Ontario.
First off, one can’t consider it in isolation.
Rochester, Buffalo, Detroit and Cleveland all show variations of the same decay.
Racial issues were of course one factor in the 60’s and 70’s though far less so here than in say Detroit.
But 2 crushing blows came from the late 70’s to the early 80’s.
First the demise of the major steel plants which were the life blood of the Buffalo-Niagara area, then the Love Canal issue which wiped out miles of homes and industry due to toxic contamination.
This triggered job loss, population decline and loss of property value, in turn impairing the financial situation of this area’s governments.
After that, the area was in a downward-spiral, one that only the best of decisions would have helped to moot.
But then came the bad decisions, large and small.
And those things that were out of the area’s control.
For instance, the emergence of Toronto as a world city, largely having to do with Anglo and Corporate flight from Montreal in the 70’s, was not kind to Buffalo-Niagara.
Where in my parents era, Torontonians went to Buffalo for the weekend to shop or see sports, or enjoy nightlife, suddenly the tide reversed.
Major League Baseball which 10 years earlier was surely due to go to Buffalo before Toronto, eschewed the former and arrived in the latter.
So much more happened, but it was, in part, that change of momentum that moved things.
All the while, the U.S and Ontario traded drinking laws, with Ontario’s last call being extended and its drinking age reduced (from 21 to 18 at one point, later 19); while NY State’s went from 18 to 21.
That change alone killed nightlife on the U.S. side of the border as Canadians stayed home, and Americans under 21 starting crossing the other way.
Then you have the locally poor decisions, from putting a veritable freeway on the U.S. side right next to the riverside park system; to the decision to tear down a chunk of historic Downtown Niagara to build an indoor mall (one that is now essentially vacant)
These poor decisions would hardly be unique to Niagara, but when compounded with the other circumstances afoot, it was simply too much.
All the while, the Canadian side, for all its failings, not only has the better view, but the Niagara Parkway, the Shaw Festival and Niagara on the Lake and a burgeoning wine sector, all the result of separate ‘good decisions’ either by gov’t or the private sector.
Some just dumb luck, others the result of better planning.
In the end, the area is not beyond redemption, but requires a completely different way of approaching its problems if it ever hopes to overcome them.
While we on the Canadian side can’t be so complacent as to assume our good fortune is open-ended, and not fail in a diligent effort to maintain a healty set of communities.
November 17, 2009 9:23 AM | Reply
I’ve been visiting Niagara Falls USA and Canada for years.
The Canadian side gives a better overall view of falls, but the US side lets see the falls up close, especially from Goat Island.
Niagara Falls US is the land of failed mega projects. There is the aquarium, the Rainbow mall, the Arcade and even the convention centre, before it was converted into a casino.
Both Niagara Falls have decaying downtowns rarely seen by tourists, but both have factory outlet malls that are successful, however the Canadian side is definitely doing better. However, that could change if the Canadian dollar stays high.