Walking tour to highlight Centre Street area’s past
Breakfast cereals, ice skates and chalk boards.
You once could find all three in the Centre Street area of Niagara Falls.
And while a cereal plant remains in the once bustling industrial district of the city, much else has changed.
And that will be the subject of the next free walking tour hosted by city historian Sherman Zavitz. On Sunday, May 27, interested participants can explore Centre Street and adjacent areas with Zavitz.
“At one time there were a number of industries in that area — they’re all gone except, of course, what is now the Post cereal plant,” he said.
Zavitz said the original name of the plant was Canadian Shredded Wheat Co. Later, in the 1920s, it was purchased by Nabisco.
“Many people think of it, still, as Nabisco, but it’s not. It’s now owned by Post cereals and, of course, they make more than Shredded Wheat there, but that’s the most famous cereal, I suppose, because it was the first. That goes back to 1904, so that’s 114 years that industry has been there, on the same site.”
He said participants will be able to take a little look inside the plant, but not a tour of the building.
“We will be able to go inside the
plant … and one of the representatives of the company will be there to answer questions.”
Zavitz said the walking tour will also detail other industries that were once in the area, including a 1909 building that is now being used for another purpose.
“Then we’ll be talking about some of the businesses that were once there because this was the centre (of the city),” he said.
“There was the north end, the south end and the centre.”
Zavitz said the north end business district was the Queen Street and Bridge Street areas, the south end was Main and Ferry, and the centre area, which was essentially Centre Street.
“It was centred, or roughly halfway between the north end and the south end business district.
“You had quite a lot of businesses there at one time, which were primarily there to serve the residents of the area.”
He said the tour will also look back at the old school once in the area, as well as the former Niagara Falls Memorial Arena.
The tour, which is part of a series of walking tours hosted by Zavitz, will start at 1:30 p.m. and last about 90 minutes.
People interested in the tour must register prior to May 25. The maximum number of participants for the tour is 100.
To register, email mbannerman@niagarafalls.ca or find the registration page at niagarafalls.ca, and for further information call 905-358-5082. Further details of the event, such as a meeting place for the tour, will be given at the time of registration.