Here are some night pictures from our second visit down to the Niagara Holiday Market.

The market is being held in downtown Niagara Falls, NY through January 1st., 2012.

See the first set of pictures from Dec. 10th here.

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In downtown Niagara Falls, NY there is a fairly controversial holiday market taking place. The majority of the debate revolves around private vendors, an organizer, and taxpayer money. Armed with a camera I headed down to the event on Sunday December 4th. I arrived and started to shoot around 11:30 am, just a half-hour after the market opened for the day. I spent about an hour walking up and down Old Falls Street. The pictures show my experience better than I could explain in words.

Following the picture gallery below I have included some links to other articles regarding the event. These articles give varying takes on this event.

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The Niagara Market Official Website

Many of the positive news stories can be seen linked directly from the Niagara Holiday Market News page.

A different view can be seen in the following articles:

November 28th – Artvoice

December 5th – Niagara Falls Reporter

November 29th – Niagara Falls Reporter

November 22nd – Niagara Falls Reporter

UPDATE: Click here to see our second visit to the market!

The lease on the Rainbow Centre has been relinquished by Cordish. The site possibly to be used by Niagara County Community College.

Niagara Gazette – Oct. 17, 2010

Buffalo News – Oct. 16, 2010

The Rainbow Centre Mall

In the early 1980′s the City of Niagara Falls underwent a urban renewal of sorts. From part of that “rebirth” came the Rainbow Centre Mall located in the heart of downtown Niagara Falls, NY. The mall opened its doors on July 4th, 1982.

The former mall is a two floor indoor shopping center consisting of over 280,000 square feet of retail space. A parking ramp is part of the structure and is incorporated with the design.

The integration of the mall and ramp allowed for skylights to be placed on the top of the building – five stories high. A column of light flowed down to the lower two levels of the mall. Windows on the third and fourth levels of the parking ramp overlook into the mall. On the fifth level of the ramp the skylights can be seen. Some of the pictures in the gallery below were taken through these windows.

The main level of the mall featured a water fountain with an overlooking glass elevator. The fountain’s design was interesting since it had steps that lead right down to the water’s edge. The south end of the mall connected to the Wintergraden, an arboretum that once contained seven thousand tropical plants. The Wintergarden was demolished in 2009. In its place a pedestrian walkway was established that connects Rainbow Boulevard to 1st Street.

Currently the mall is owned by the City of Niagara Falls and is assessed at $9.8-million (94% of market value) per the Niagara Falls’ assessor. It sits on a lot that is 4.22 acres in size. The total square footage of the structure is 628,572 sq. ft., with 336,924 sq. ft. for the ramp and 291,648 sq. ft. enclosed. The site address is actually listed to be 360 Rainbow Mall, whereas no Rainbow Mall street exists on city maps.

The City of Niagara Falls leases the mall to the Cordish Companies from Baltimore, MD. The lease dates back to the mall’s inception. Today the parking ramp is run by the City and used for tourist parking (at a charge). The Rainbow Centre is located only a short distance from the Falls and the Canadian border.

The mall that opened in 1982 struggled for nearly a decade, not turning a profit until 1990. At that time the mall’s anchor, Beir’s Department Store, was replaced by Burlington Coat Factory. And the mall soon became full of outlet stores. The success was short lived as other area malls and outlet malls started to draw the customers from the Rainbow Centre. By the end of the 1990′s times had grown financially unfeasible for its tenants. The Burlington Coat Factory closed its doors in 1999, and the rest of the stores were closed by September 2000. The only remaining tenant, inside the mall, was an off-track betting center. In 2005, the off-track betting center moved out and the mall was officially closed to foot traffic.

Since its closing there have been numerous press releases and news articles about the future of the Rainbow Centre. It has been stated that the building will be converted into an entertainment complex, a series of clubs and restaurants, etc. Most recently there was interest expressed in the facility by Niagara County Community College. The college was evaluating space for hosting its culinary arts program. Unfortunately the deal fell through and the college has looked on to other locations to satisfy its needs.

Currently the building sits in diminishing shape. There appears to be significant water damage at various locations throughout the structure. The faded signs continue to hang, and the railings of the ramp all lost of their shinny red paint, now covered with rust. The stairwells are unfriendly and uninviting, covered in graffiti and harsh lighting (where the lighting works). The walkway to the elevators, which is used by people heading to and from their cars in the ramp, is deplorable.

All of the pictures in the gallery below were taken in July of this year. The interior pictures were taken through the glass doors and windows that are all public accessible. In some instances a polarizer on the camera’s lens was used to reduce the reflection and glare off the glass, but much of the glass was covered in grit and grime that could not be removed. All the pictures are untouched, only adjustments to the overall exposure (and some cropping) have been made.

Reference: The Niagara One / Occidental Building

All rights reserved. Information presented believed to be from accurate sources. Not liable for errors and/or typos.

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The Silo - Lewiston, NY

The Silo is located on the shoreline of lower Niagara River in the Village of Lewiston, NY.

The building originally was a coal silo for the Canada Steamship Lines. These steamships would transport people from Lewiston to Toronto, Ontario (Canada). The voyage to Toronto actually began in Niagara Falls, NY, where people boarded the Niagara Gorge Railroad to Lewiston.

With the advent of other travel means, the need for the steamships, and the coal silo, came to an end. This building became dormant for number of decades.

In the late 1970′s the Village of Lewiston decided to develop the waterfront. Sine then a boat launch, docks, and a number of walkways have been built. There is an area for fishing and space for just lounging while enjoying the view. Based on the shoreline you can get an overlooking view from higher up. Or you can take the lower path directly along the Niagara River. In any event the view along the water, or across into Canada, is magnificent.

In 1998 the transformed coal silo opened as a restaurant, simply named “The Silo.” It continues to operate as such today. Guests are welcome to enter from North Water Street and take part in a meal while overlooking the Niagara River.

Do you want more information on this Historic site? Click here!

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Note: 4640.com, nor the authors, have any affiliation with the The Silo restaurant. The information on this site speaks to the historic significance of the coal silo and its place in our history.

Occidental Building - Niagara Falls, NY

The Occidental Building is located in downtown Niagara Falls, NY. It is also known as the Oxy Building, the Hooker Building, One Niagara, and the Niagara Center.

The architects, Cannon Design inc., set out to build a high efficiency structure consisting of a double glass facade. Ventilation space was located between the separate glass panes, where air was drawn in from the bottom and released at the building’s top. Louvers were also located between the panes that adjusted to block out the sun in the summer and keep heat in during the winter.

The building, completed in 1981, stands nine stories tall, and provides approximately 187,000 square feet of space. It is located at 360 Rainbow Blvd., adjacent to the New York State Park. It is only a short walking distance from the American Falls.

The building, which is no longer owned by Occidental, now serves as a tourist center. The first floor consists of mostly of restaurants and eateries. The ninth floor serves as an observation area and contains more shops and souvenir stands. The second through eight floors are closed to the public.

The louvers that were once designed to control the climate of the building are all removed. Both panes of glass are still intact though. Walking through the building reveals additional modifications to the HVAC system. Stand alone furnaces/AC units are noted to exist.

The pictures below were taken on June 27th., 2010.

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