Theatre to open in 2019
The city’s new 5,000-seat theatre will be located next to the Hilton Hotel and be connected to Fallsview Casino by a new enclosed walkway.
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) officially announced the site late Thursday, despite work already being done on the property for weeks. The $130 million venue will be directly behind the Hilton, facing Stanley Avenue, and is expected to open in mid-2019.
Construction and maintenance is expected to create more than 800 direct jobs.
The site has long been rumoured to be the theatre’s location, and work has been going on at the site ever since OLG announced Niagara Falls Entertainment Partners on July 11 as the winning consortium to design, build, finance and maintain the facility.
At the time, the site was not revealed because the “procurement process” for the theatre was not fully complete, said OLG spokesman Tony Bitonti earlier this week.
The announcement was made at 6:16 p.m. Thursday, the same day the site was featured on the front page of The Review as the likely home of the theatre.
Details of the project are still vague. When contacted Friday, Bitonti said more information “will be released in the coming weeks as we are trying to arrange for a ground breaking ceremony.”
Mayor Jim Diodati says the site appears to satisfy both the city’s and OLG’s concerns: It will be directly connected to Fallsview Casino, while being highly visible in the tourism district. He says the walkway will be separate from the existing one connecting the Hilton to the casino property, possibly connecting direct to the galleria.
He says the new design should allow the same “intimate feel” as the casino’s 1,500-seat Avalon Ballroom, but in a much bigger venue.
“At the same time, we wanted to make sure the outside was designed in such a way that it animated the street,” he says. “It represented the area, yet had the wow factor. I think people are going to be pretty impressed with what is unveiled.”
Parking will be one of the facility’s biggest concerns, however. Diodati says tourism partners will meet regularly to come up with a plan by next summer, which won’t just accommodate concerts in the new venue but — in light of the crowd issues on Canada Day — large events throughout the year.
We are looking forward to working with the Niagara Falls Entertainment Partners to manage the new facility and deliver even greater entertainment value for visitors to Niagara Falls.” Niagara Casinos president Richard Taylor
“We want to make sure we’ve got a functional plan in place by next year, a year before the new theatre opens.”
Diodati says another proposed site for the theatre was in the same area as the Hilton, while another was near Casino Niagara.
Council had already come out against a proposed site attached to the Fallsview Casino which would have obstructed views of the falls for some nearby hotels.
Niagara Casinos president Richard Taylor says the new venue will be “a terrific addition to Niagara Falls’ entertainment offerings.”
“We are looking forward to working with the Niagara Falls Entertainment Partners to manage the new facility and deliver even greater entertainment value for visitors to Niagara Falls.”
Taylor would not elaborate on the fate of the Avalon Ballroom once the new theatre opens.
City councillor and Niagara Falls Tourism chairman Wayne Thomson says the site is “appropriate” for both the city and OLG.
“It had to be close (to the casino), it had to be tied in. If it wasn’t on the casino property, that’s the second best location,” he says.
One thing the new venue will offer that the current Avalon Ballroom doesn’t: Admission to people under 19. While the OLG wasn’t keen on the idea, Thomson says it’s “appropriate and important.”