In 1948, Alexander Kovacs built a nautical-designed motel on Montrose Road near McLeod and the QEW. It boasted 8 motel units in the shape of a ship, 6 small cabins, a coffee shop and a goldfish pond. The nautical motel units had circular porthole windows and a ship's deck at the end.
Ted Stelmaszysnki purchased the motel in 1957, and began a series of expansions and renovations. The renamed Montrose Motor Inn had 60 motel units with air conditioning, a swimming pool, playground, restaurant, banquet facility and 24 RV camping sites.
The original nautical section was demolished in 1962 because the rooms were too small. One building provided accommodations for living year-round. Flyers and ads listed the motel as only 5 minutes from the Falls. "Have your next affair at the Montrose Motor Inn".
The Montrose Motor Inn motel was demolished and replaced by the majestic Peninsula Inn and Resort, which opened in 1998 and operated until 2019.
In 2020, the property was converted to a retirement and assisted senior living complex called Chapel Heights, a Sedona Senior Living community.
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Niagara Falls Public Library. 2017. Niagara Falls - Then & Now: A Photographic Journey Through The Years. SS Montrose Motel/Montrose Motor Inn/ Peninsula Inn & Resort
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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