The Niagara

The Hotel Niagara

The Hotel Niagara, June 2009
Location 201 Rainbow Blvd., Niagara Falls, New York
Coordinates 43°5′5.79″N 79°3′40.43″W / 43.0849417°N 79.0612306°W / 43.0849417; -79.0612306Coordinates: 43°5′5.79″N 79°3′40.43″W / 43.0849417°N 79.0612306°W / 43.0849417; -79.0612306
Built 1925
Architect Esenwein and Johnson
Wright and Kremers
Architectural style Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals
NRHP Reference #

08001145

[1]
Added to NRHP December 5, 2008

The Hotel Niagara is a landmark hotel in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.[1]

History

The hotel was built by Niagara Falls businessman Frank A. Dudley and operated by the United Hotels Company.[2] The 12 story, steel frame and concrete hotel was designed by prominent Buffalo architects Esenwein and Johnson and considered a skyscraper when it was built between 1923 and 1925. It is currently located 1/4 mile from the Horseshoe Falls, it is one block from the Seneca Niagara Casino. It has nearly 200 guest rooms as well as convention facilities. It has been known by various names including The Hotel Niagara; John's Niagara Hotel; Park's Inn; International; Days Inn-Falls View; and Travelodge Niagara Falls.[3]

The hotel’s primary public rooms include the lobby, ballroom and main dining room and as of March 2016, have survived largely intact. They feature elaborate ceiling plaster moldings and columns, gilded capitals, faux limestone walls, oak and emerald terrazzo floors.[4]

2007 closure

The property closed for renovations in 2007, which never took place. In 2010, the property was foreclosed by the State Bank of Texas, which expressed no interest in ownership, after the owners, Amidee Hotels & Resorts, abandoned the property and allowed it to fall into foreclosure after their parent company, Amidee Capital Group, LLC, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. The building was condemned by the Niagara Falls Department of Code Enforcement after the heating system failed, which caused water pipes in the building to burst. The city shut off the water when that happened, leaving the building without running water or a functional fire sprinkler system, which constitutes several code violations.

In April 2011, the property was sold at a foreclosure auction for $1,250,000 to Jamil Kara, a developer from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He told the Niagara Gazette, a Niagara Falls newspaper, that he planned to convert the building into a five-star hotel and condominium.[5]

In September 2011, Toronto developer Harry Stinson bought the building from Kara for an undisclosed amount, intending to restore it. His company, Stinson Developments,[6] estimated they would finish renovations by summer 2013.[7] However the work was never completed, and Stinson sold the building in 2015 to Reception Hotels & Resorts, for $4.4 million.[8] Reception similarly announced plans to renovate the structure.[9] they later announced that it would become a Radisson Hotel on the completion of a $21.5 million makeover.[8]

2016 sale

In March 2016, the New York State-run USA Niagara Development Corporation agreed to purchase the property from its current owner, Harry Stinson of JSK International Corp. USA Niagara Development Corp. plans on issuing a new request for proposals to complete renovations of the building.[10]

The purchase price was described as "up to $4.4 million," with funding for the acquisition, inspections, insurance and property holding services, up to $5 million, will be provided through Gov. Andrew Cuomo's state-financed "Buffalo Billion" development initiative.[10]

It was reportedly the home of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio while filming Niagara in 1952.[11][12]

Former guests of the hotel include U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joseph Cotten, and Al Capone.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Receivers Name for Hotel Firm". The New York Times. November 18, 1933. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)" (Searchable database). New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2015-11-01. Note: This includes Kerry L. Traynor (June 2008). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: The Niagara" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-11-01. and Accompanying photographs
  4. 1 2 Staff. "The Niagara Hotel". theniagarahotel.com. Stinson Developments Inc. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  5. ↑ The Niagara Gazette Buyer eyes hotel, condominiums for Hotel Niagara. Scheer, Mark, 26 April 2011
  6. ↑ |stinsondevelopments.com
  7. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2012/10/10/hotel-niagara-rehab-gets-ncida-approval.html
  8. 1 2 http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/niagara-falls/hotel-niagara-to-become-a-radisson-under-new-owners-20150513
  9. ↑ http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/niagara-falls/hotel-niagara-sold-tax-break-sought-for-renovation-20150509
  10. 1 2 Staff (March 23, 2016). "State buying Hotel Niagara, will seek new developer MEETING: USA Niagara's board of directors agrees to spend up to $4.4 million for trademark property.". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  11. ↑ Staff (March 24, 2016). "NY is buying Niagara Falls hotel where Marilyn Monroe stayed". The Washington Times. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  12. ↑ Staff. "The Hotel Niagara". wakeupniagara.weebly.com. WakeUp Niagara Falls. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
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