Albert J. and George Stuart opened the Stuart Brothers plant on Cataract Avenue in the early 1900s. They used vacuum stills to distill different concentrations of essential oils. The plant's specialty was manipulating natural vanilla in precise concentrations for other manufacturers. Products were shipped to the United States, Great Britain and China.
By 1920, Albert had moved to Montreal, and the business was closed. R. Rice Co. Limited manufactured leather shoe uppers in the facility for a few years, it briefly served as a storage facility, and was renovated into apartments by 1950.
The first use of this property for hostelling was when the Niagara Falls International Hostel opened in the mid 1990s. Today, the former oil plant is home to Hostelling International Canada's Niagara Falls Hostel. The nearby area of the hostel is somewhat isolated from other major tourism activity due to the decline or closure of surrounding businesses.
Hostelling International Canada is part of the world's largest hostel network, made up of 3,300 hostels in 64 countries. Over fifty of those hostels are located in Canada. H.I. Canada is a not-for-profit, member-based organization.
Niagara Falls Public Library. 2017. Niagara Falls - Then & Now: A Photographic Journey Through The Years. [Stuart Brothers Plant / HI-Niagara Falls Hostel].
Niagara Falls Then and Now
A collaborative project
Niagara Falls Museums - Niagara Falls Public Library - Dept. of Geography and Tourism Studies,Brock University.
Original newspaper series by
Sherman Zavitz, Official Historian for the City of Niagara Falls from 1994 - 2019.
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