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Katie Krawczyk (ESD)
716.846.8200
5/20/2010
OLD FALLS STREET HOLDS “PREVIEW DAY” FOR GRAND OPENING, RED COACH INN CUTS RIBBON ON NEW HOTEL ROOMS
City and State officially re-open Old Falls Street, give taste of what’s to come for residents and visitors to enjoy Historic boutique hotel opens new rooms in downtown Niagara Falls
USA Niagara Development Corporation (USAN) and the City of Niagara Falls today dedicated the newly renovated Old Falls Street, reopening the street to vehicular and pedestrian traffic for the first time in over 30 years. The redevelopment of this street spanned a total of three years with a total cost of $12 million. A “Preview Day” was held on the street, complete with live entertainment and food samplings, to give the public a taste of the Grand Opening festival taking place Saturday, May 22.
The Grand Opening kicks off an entire summer and fall season of events and programming happening on the street, managed by Global Spectrum, who also provides management services for the Conference Center Niagara Falls. The adopted slogan for the street is See What’s New on Old Falls Street: Welcome to Your Niagara Falls, to appeal to both residents and visitors alike. The 2010 Calendar of Events for Old Falls Street was rolled out at today’s event and can be viewed, along with the complete list of festivities for Saturday’s Grand Opening, at www.FallsStreet.com.
“Throughout the nearly two years I’ve spent with Empire State Development, redeveloping and reinvigorating Niagara Falls has been a priority, given its significant and historical status as one of our State’s crown jewels,” said USAN Chairman Dennis M. Mullen. “We are meeting the demands of the tourism and convention market in Niagara Falls with renovated, high-quality hotel rooms matched with daily and weekly events to engage our residents and the 5 to 6 million visitors we get each year. Today is a very proud day, as it demonstrates to everyone that your city, state and business community are working hard together to meet the demands of not only visitors, but more importantly the residents. We are continuing to pursue other investment opportunities in order to keep this momentum going. Today, we celebrate growing business and investment and moreover, we celebrate reintroducing Old Falls Street to the residents of Niagara Falls as, once again, its city’s main thoroughfare.”
“Falls Street is fondly remembered and even treasured in the history of the City of Niagara Falls. From the first moment that it was ‘gone’ from our downtown we realized how much it meant to the life of our city and the tourism industry. Through the rebuilding and reopening of Old Falls Street we now have our ‘Falls Street’ back. With the assistance of USA Niagara and the cooperation of the Niagara Falls Conference Center, the City of Niagara Falls continues to move forward to develop and expand our city’s tourism corridor,” said Mayor Paul Dyster.
The Old Falls Street Initiative has restored full access along the former Falls Street corridor from the 1885 entrance of Niagara Falls State Park through the core of downtown. Old Falls Street was once the economic center of the downtown area and this Initiative was intended to help recapture some of this former setting. The entire project, which included redevelopment of the East Mall (Third Street to First Street), the West Mall (Prospect Street to Rainbow Boulevard) and the Wintergarden, took a total of three years to complete with a total investment amount of $12 million.
Phase I of the Initiative began in November 2006 and was focused on the East Mall reconstruction and streetscape. This phase was completed in July 2007 and had a total cost of $2.8 million, which was funded through the local share of Seneca Niagara Casino revenues. Phase II, which began in November of 2008 and completed in May 2010, redeveloped the West Mall from the State Park on Prospect Street to Rainbow Boulevard. Construction costs for the West Mall totaled $4.8 million. This portion of the street has already been host to several successful outdoor concerts and events. Phase II also consisted of the acquisition and demolition of the former Wintergarden building and the restoration of adjoining building facades (Rainbow Centre Mall and the Quality Inn), with costs totaling $3.8 million. Funding for this second and final phase of the Initiative included $7.9 million in “City-by-City” funds from Empire State Development and a $500,000 Urban Center/Commercial District Revitalization Program grant from National Grid.
Old Falls Street sits within over $50 million in new downtown investment, including the $20 million Conference Center Niagara Falls and the $34 million renovated Crowne Plaza Hotel. The restoration of Old Falls Street not only complements these recent investments, but also fosters an environment that will spur further economic development opportunities via full vehicular and pedestrian access, an attractive setting, and most importantly, connectivity between Niagara Fall State Park and the City of Niagara Falls, where millions visit each year. Further, through an agreement with the City of Niagara Falls, USAN is funding Global Spectrum, LP to manage the programming of events and all related maintenance activities on Old Falls Street.
Global Spectrum General Manager Jill Scicchitano said: “Old Falls Street, now a straight thoroughfare from the Seneca Niagara Casino leading to the entrance of the State Park, makes for a remarkable setting that we have been able to complement with some great events and activities for the 2010 season. We have a variety of programming planned that is diverse and affordable for everyone to enjoy. A 14-week outdoor movie series, Fitness at the Falls classes, weekly cooking demonstrations, Kids Zone and storytelling, along with concerts and special events are just a few of the fantastic activities you can expect to see on Old Falls Street.”
Additionally, the City and State helped cut the ribbon on twelve new boutique hotel rooms at the Red Coach Inn on Buffalo Avenue, situated along the upper rapids and just 1,500 feet from the American Falls. Located in the former office building adjoining the Red Coach, the new rooms were renovated to emulate the same historic English Tudor-style for which the Inn is known.
For the past several years, the demand for room accommodations at the Red Coach has outpaced the availability under the existing building configuration. This $900,000 expansion project allowed the Red Coach to grow its current hotel capacity from 19 to over 30 luxury suites and guests rooms for overnight visitors. This project also included the construction of a guest reception area, laundry area, new HVAC, electrical, plumbing, furniture and façade enhancement.
“The Red Coach Inn has been a distinguished fixture of our city’s hospitality infrastructure since 1923. Mr. Tom Reese purchased the business in 1986 and his dedication to excellence has been unparalleled,” said Mayor Dyster. “Tom’s commitment shines through with this newest expansion of guest rooms on the property. The City of Niagara Falls is pleased to work with the Red Coach Inn to ensure that this business remains a distinguished establishment on the banks of a world famous natural wonder.”
In December 2009, the USAN Board of Directors authorized the Niagara County Development Corporation (NCDC) to make a $100,000 grant to the Red Coach Restaurant, Inc. for this project, through the USAN Grant Program. The City of Niagara Falls, through the NFC Development Corporation, also awarded a $50,000 grant for this project.
“The Red Coach is one of those distinctive little places that visitors seek out—one of the City’s most historic inns. It’s been a real pleasure to help them expand their unique lodging product and to do so by giving new life to an adjoining vacant building. The end product is a natural extension of the inn’s operation,” said USAN President Christopher Schoepflin.
Red Coach Owner Thomas Reese said: “This project is a major expansion for the Red Coach Inn and I’m confident that the marketplace will support my investment and that these new rooms will help meet the rising demand. It’s exciting to be a part of everything new that is happening in the downtown area and I hope this project encourages further development for our tourists and local residents. Without the assistance from USA Niagara and the City of Niagara Falls, this project would not have been possible.”
The Red Coach also operates a full service restaurant. The Inn is one of Niagara Falls’ most distinctive historic structures.
USAN, a subsidiary of Empire State Development Corporation, is solely dedicated to the support and promotion of economic development initiatives in Niagara Falls by leveraging private investment and encouraging growth and renewal of the tourism industry in the City of Niagara Falls. For more information, visit www.usaniagara.com.
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