The Elgin Hotel, a small 18-room hotel on the southwest corner of Bridge Street and River Road, was constructed about 1856. Built by a man named Griffin, it was originally a 30' by 40' one-storey stone structure, and was one of the first hotels built in the area. It took advantage of the business opportunities presented by passengers travelling through the nearby Great Western and Michigan Central Railway Stations. Visitors often needed overnight accommodation, which the Elgin Hotel was pleased to provide.
The Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge, which was the first bridge built across the river at the foot of Bridge Street in 1848, brought considerable tourist traffic to the area. The bridge originally carried only carriages and pedestrians, but in 1851, a second deck was added on top of the existing carriage deck to carry railway locomotives. It was the first suspension bridge in the world to carry trains.
Publicity for the Elgin Hotel boasted that it had "A splendid view of the great Suspension Bridge", and that "the magnificent scenery of the Niagara River is obtained at this House." It offered hot meals at all hours, and trusty porters to convey baggage.
The view from the Elgin Hotel changed somewhat in 1897, when the Suspension Bridge was replaced by the much more substantial double-decked Lower Steel Arch Bridge. (It was re-named the Whirlpool Bridge in 1937 - the name by which it is still known today).
In later years, the Elgin House Hotel was known informally as Clark's Hotel, named after the proprietor who had enlarged the building into a two-storey frame structure. Across River Road from the hotel was a ticket office for the International Railway Company, an electric line that operated along both sides of the Niagara River.
Elgin House Hotel was destroyed by fire in September, 1912, but the building was rebuilt and transformed into a restaurant and confectionery parlour in 1914.
he hotel building is long gone, but the corner The hotel building is long gone, but the corner hosted a tourist information booth and currency exchange for many years until around 2011. It has been vacant ever since.
Zavitz, Sherman. 1998. River Road. Niagara Falls Review, 21 February 1998.
Niagara Falls Museums. 2021. Discover our History: Some Niagara Hotels. https://niagarafallsmuseums.ca/discover-our-history/history-notes/earlyhotels.aspx
Niagara Falls Public Library. 2001. Photo: Elgin House Hotel corner of Bridge Street & River Road. Record ID 90506 / D11318/A/B/C. Historic Niagara Digital Collections. http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/show.asp?id=90506&b=1
Niagara Falls Then and Now
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