The northeast corner of Morrison Street and Lundy's Lane has seen many changes over the past two hundred years. It began as the location of an early Methodist meeting hall, and since then, it has held a series of public schools, Niagara Falls police headquarters, and the city's Parks and Recreation department. Its latest incarnation will be as the gateway and columbarium for the Lundy's Lane Cemetery.

In 1817, early Methodists in Niagara Falls joined together and built a meeting house at Green's Corners and Lundy's Lane. It was a large building, 36 feet by 56 feet, and was painted dark red, as a result of which it became known as the Red Meeting House. It became the centre of Methodism in this area. (See separate entry on Lundys Lane Methodist Church - Lundys Lane United Church - Battlefield Event Centre and Chapel),

Lundy's Lane School, or Green's Corners School as it was also called, was built around 1829. It was located at the north-east corner of the junction of Green's Corners (now called Montrose Road), and Lundy's Lane.

A newer building was constructed in 1871 (below), which was used as the schoolhouse until 1915.

1915 - 2005: Lundy's Lane School / Police Headquarters / Parks and Recreation Department

A new Lundy's Lane School was constructed in 1915, and was used until 1953, when students were moved to Greendale School on Montrose Road. The school building became the Niagara Falls police headquarters in 1953, and 10 years later became home to the city's Parks, Recreation and Culture department. It was closed in 2005 when Parks and Recreation staff moved to the MacBain Community Centre at the corner of Montrose and McLeod Roads.

It was granted official status as an historic building in 2010. However, it soon fell into disrepair despite its heritage designation.

Now: Cemetery Gateway and Columbarium (2023)

In July of 2017, Niagara Falls City Council approved a staff recommendation to demolish the building - despite its status - because of reported issues of mould and asbestos that would be costly to remediate.

Re-use of the school property for new burial plots, a columbarium, and as a gateway to the adjacent cemetery has the potential to generate $1 million in revenue for the city, based on the sale of 250 new in-ground cemetery plots and 400 new spots within the columbarium.

Proposals to renovate the historic school building itself into a columbarium were ultimately rejected on financial grounds. Renovation costs were estimated at $1.9 - $2.2 million dollars, as opposed to demolition costs of $225,000 - an estimated net loss of between $975,000 and $1.3 million for the city. Preserving the building would also have required about $15,500 per year in maintenance costs.

Local residents and some city councillors argued that the building was still structurally sound, and featured distinctive brick and stonework. They also argued that it had the historical distinction of being partially built by the volunteer labour of recent immigrants to the city, and deserved a better fate.

Regrettably, the bottom-line costs of restoration and preservation caused city councillors to vote 6-2 against keeping the structure, resulting in the loss of another landmark building in the City of Niagara Falls.

Law, John. 2017. Old Niagara Falls parks and rec building to come down. Niagara Falls Review, July 17, 2017 (updated June 02, 2020). https://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/news/niagara-region/2019/07/17/old-niagara-falls-parks-and-rec-building-to-come-down.html

Niagara Falls Museums. 2020. Early Methodist Churches of Niagara Falls. https://niagarafallsmuseums.ca/discover-our-history/history-notes/methodistchurches.aspx

Niagara Falls Museums. 2020. Early Schools of Niagara Falls. https://niagarafallsmuseums.ca/discover-our-history/history-notes/schools.aspx

Niagara Falls Public Library. 2017. Niagara Falls - Then & Now: A Photographic Journey Through The Years. [Lundy's Lane School (S.S. #5) / Green's Corners School / Parks and Recreation Department Office].

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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Copyright for all content remains with original creators.