Then: Queen Theatre / Capitol Theatre

In its peak, Queen Street contained train stations, shops, and hotels full of visitors coming to visit Niagara. To encourage visitors to extend their trip overnight, the area provided late night entertainment with the Queen Theatre, which opened its doors on March 26th, 1915.

Many of the early performances were live on stage, rather than strictly showing films. This allowed the theatre to engage audiences in a different manner than standard cinemas. At the outbreak of World War I, recruiting rallies were held at the theatre. The building was decorated for the occasion, as seen in the image above.

In 1929, the building was renamed the "Capitol Theatre", and was remodelled for sound and presented its first sound movie. The theatre remained a staple for visiting Americans, Canadians, and locals until its closure in 1958.

Now: TD Canada Trust Branch (Closed)

The theatre was demolished in 1964, and a Lincoln Trust building was erected on the site, and eventually transitioned into a TD Canada Trust building. This created a location for downtown business people and nearby residents to do their banking during the weekday. However, this branch closed in the early 2010s. This meant nearby neighbourhoods now had to venture to a new branch, and an additional building became vacant on the site of a once booming central business district.

Niagara Falls Public Library. 2017. Niagara Falls - Then & Now: A Photographic Journey Through The Years. Queen Theatre/Capitol Theatre/TD Canada Trust (closed)

Bobak, R. 2019. Niagara Falls Then and Now: the Queen - Capitol Theatre. Right in Niagara. Retrieved from: http://rightinniagara.blogspot.com/2009/02/niagara-falls-then-and-now-queen.html

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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