NIAGARA FALLS: A new look for Old Falls Street

Wide sidewalks and large stone benches designed to look like rock from the Niagara Gorge will be the hallmark of a $3.2 million project to reconstruct a block of Old Falls Street to allow traffic back on the road.

Construction is slated to be completed next month as the renovation of a recently renamed Crowne Plaza wraps up and a new restaurant opens on the block.

“In the next four to six weeks, a lot of things will be happening,” said Doug Williams, project manager the Phoenix-based development firm Namwest, which is overseeing the Crowne Plaza renovation. “We’ll be completely done with the renovation of the hotel.”

USA Niagara Development Corp. expects to complete the Old Falls Street construction in June, said Anna Maria Mannino, a spokeswoman for the state agency.

Construction on the block — also known as the city’s East Pedestrian Mall — started in October. The project will reopen the street to limited vehicular traffic, widen the sidewalks and add new cobblestone pavement.

The streetscape will also add new trees, benches and street lights, as well as granite curbs and new drainage.

USA Niagara officials are hoping the project will provide better access to the Conference Center Niagara Falls and bring luster back to a street that once was the center of downtown tourism and featured two theaters, restaurants and local businesses.

The street, which will have moveable planters to close off traffic, could also be used as a public square for events. The city’s Tourism Advisory Board is working with Mayor Vince Anello to plan a free city concert on Old Falls Street on Friday, July 13, after it reopens.

“What we essentially want to do with that area is make it our Times Square,” said Jerry Genova, chairman the volunteer advisory board.

On Monday, Bob Schwartz, a retired jewelry shop owner, watched contractors work on the street as he waited for his wife at the nearby Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel.

“The construction is unbelievable,” Schwartz said. The 80-year-old Town of Tonawanda resident believes the construction is an improvement over recent years. “There’s no question about it. I can remember years back when I used to come down here. It was awful.”

Vending rights on the East Pedestrian Mall are currently leased to a private businessman, Smokin Joe gasoline chain owner Joseph Anderson.

The walkway serves as the entranceway to the Conference Center Niagara Falls and sits next to the Crowne Plaza.

The Crowne Plaza, which was formerly a Holiday Inn Select, has undergone a $24.5 million renovation to upgrade its rooms and will fully open the Old Falls Bar and Grill in June, Williams said. The hotel sold last year to a partnership between Sentry Hospitality and Namwast for $14.3 milion. USA Niagara and Empire State Development Corp. committed up to $6 million in state grants toward the renovation.

The hotel is also planning to open two “quick service” takeout restaurants along Old Falls Street in July or August. Outdoor eating for a new Starbucks will also be located on the street. The Crowne Plaza is planning to completely open the Old Falls Sports Bar and Grill in June.

Williams said the contracts for the takeout restaurants have not yet been confirmed, the hotel is considering a pizzeria and a bagel or ice cream eatery.

“We’re currently talking with a couple of different services,” Williams said. “Until we finalize that I can’t say who.”