An historic hydro generating station that millions of people have viewed just upstream from the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, Ont., for more than a century will soon be transformed into what’s being described as a major tourism destination.
At a ground-breaking ceremony next to the Toronto Power Generating Station on Thursday, with a bitterly cold wind howling off the Niagara River, plans for the ambitious project were announced.
“I can’t wrap my mind around the complexity of this project,” Ontario’s new tourism minister, Zee Hamid, said after a brief tour of the stunning building that’s been shuttered for more than 50 years. “It’s an incredible vision.”
Back in 2021, The Niagara Parks Commission invited private sector proposals to transform the dormant plant into a major attraction. Pearle Hospitality, an Ontario-based hospitality company behind destinations such as the Elora Mill Hotel and Spa, was selected as the winning bid.
Pearle is part of a private sector partnership that will spearhead the project, including Society Developments, which will lead the construction.
James Ciancone, right, with brother Aaron Ciancone and sister Leanne Ciancone of Pearle Hospitality, speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony of the soon-to-be-redeveloped Toronto Generating Station in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Thursday. (Paul Forsyth/CBC)
The plan calls for the partnership to invest $350 million to completely transform the massive structure on two hectares of land into what Parks chief executive officer David Adames said in a recent video will be Niagara Falls’ first five-star boutique hotel, a number of restaurants, events space, and free public viewing areas inside and outside including a rooftop observation deck.
The view will be virtually unparalleled: the Niagara River roars over the Horseshoe Falls a short distance away, and the remnants of the famous scow that’s been perched in the powerful upper rapids since a dramatic rescue operation in 1918 is just a stone’s throw away.
The hydro plant, with its ornate exterior features, was designed in the Italian Renaissance style by renowned architect E.J. Lennox, designer of Casa Loma and old Toronto city hall. Built between 1902 and 1906, it generated hydro power from the river until 1974 when it was decommissioned, said Adames.
In 1983 it was declared a national historic site.
Under the agreement signed with the private sector partnership, the Parks will receive rent and won’t have to pay for the redevelopment, said Adames.
Dignitaries take part in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the redevelopment of the historic Toronto Generating Station in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Thursday. (Paul Forsyth/CBC)
Niagara Parks board chair Graham Coveney called the plant a “remarkable landmark” with an important place in Niagara’s history.
Its transformation is part of the Destination Niagara plan unveiled by the province last December with the goal of doubling the estimated 13 million visitors a year that Niagara Falls gets, and to extend how long people stay when they visit, he said.
“Toronto Power will attract visitors, encourage longer stays and strengthen Niagara’s profile on the global stage,” said Coveney.
“Through the restoration and adaptive re-use of this national historic site, we can preserve an important piece of our shared heritage while creating a brand new, world class visitor experience unlike anything currently offered in Niagara or Ontario.”
James Ciancone with Pearle said 2,200 to 3,000 people will fit into the building at full capacity. “It is a very complex project,” he said.
His brother, Pearle president Aaron Ciancone, said the project will create more than 900 jobs.
“Our vision for Toronto Power is to create a destination that reflects the very best of Canadian hospitality, a place that respects its history, celebrates its surroundings and welcomes visitors from around the world,” he said.
“We’re not simply preserving an important part of history. We’re giving it a new purpose, a new future.”
The envisioned lobby lounge inside the soon-to-be redeveloped Toronto Generating Station in Niagara Falls, Ont., is shown. (Niagara Parks)
Former St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullen, who grew up in Niagara Falls and who is vice-president of business development and a partner in Society Developments, said in a news release that introducing the city’s first five-star hotel and spa will “redefine luxury tourism in the region and bring long-overdue premium investment” to the Honeymoon Capital.
Hamid called Niagara Falls a “crown jewel” and one of Ontario’s “most iconic” tourism destinations.
“This project is only going to make it better,” he said.
Construction is expected to be substantially completed by 2029.
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It will be the second major transformation of an historic hydro plant just above the falls into a major visitor attraction. In 2021, Niagara Parks opened what is now called the Niagara Parks Power Station, a new tourist attraction that used to be known as the Canadian Niagara Power Company generation station.
That plant opened in 1905 and operated until it was decommissioned in 2006.
