Then: Prince of Wales Club

The Prince of Wales Club was a combination of a supper club and a high class ballroom. The interior had a nautical motif; a balcony all the way around it, reached by a grand staircase; a private club room and an elaborate bandstand suitable for the big-band era of the Roaring Twenties. The marble for the dance floors had been imported from Italy. Named for the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VIII, the club's grand opening was July 3rd, 1925.

Top name bands played six days a week to capacity crowds. A souvenir shop was added to the facility, which was also a great success.

The Fallsview (Honeymoon) Bridge collapsed in 1938, and the land for its replacement structure, the Rainbow Bridge, included the Prince of Wales' location. Mr. Melbourne, the club owner, fought the expropriation proceedings, but he was unsuccessful. The Prince of Wales Club was demolished in 1940.

Now: Reg's Candy Kitchen

The Rainbow Bridge Plaza was built in the same location as the Prince of Wales Club after its demolition in 1940. The bridge's Rainbow Tower and Canadian plaza are the work of Canadian architect William Lyon Somerville. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, during their visit to Niagara Falls as part of the 1939 royal tour of Canada, dedicated the site of the Rainbow Bridge, and a monument was erected to commemorate the occasion. Construction began in May 1940. The bridge officially opened on November 1, 1941.

The Canadian side of the Rainbow Bridge Plaza is home to Reg's Candy Kitchen. Reg Wall, the colorful proprietor, has been making fudge at the same location since 1967.

Niagara Falls Public Library. 2017. Niagara Falls - Then & Now: A Photographic Journey Through The Years. Prince of Wales Club/Reg's Candy Kitchen

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.