I wanted to take a minute to celebrate a couple of amazing houses in Niagara Falls, New York. Too often we talk about the decay of Niagara Falls (I am not denying there is a problem there) but we never even give a little credit to the ones who deserve it.

I snapped the photos below while taking a short walk through the downtown historic preservation district on Sunday. The Park Place Historic district is small but  has a high value which was estimated at almost 7 million in 2006. Here is more information on the district itself, which was put together by our very own Tom Yots of Preservation Buffalo Niagara.

Just last week, Niagara Falls had a preservation win when the hospital expansion was denied because of a landmarked historic building standing in its way, which was not wanted by the City officials of Niagara Falls however, it is important to point out that being a certified local government, Niagara Falls is expected to take into consideration historic buildings and the landmarking status really helped secure the buildings future. Great!

Anyhow, here are the photos I took. The buildings are stunning. They are ones that you would see on Delaware Avenue or around Bidwell Parkway in Buffalo, NY. This little historic district has helped to maintain and support several incredible houses on this street through historic tax credit incentives and general “good intention ” expectations. 

When we think of Niagara Falls, of course we think of its need for so many resources. But we also need to think about how important it is to keep the resources we have.. to preserve the small amount of what is left from the good ole’ days of Niagara Falls. We need to begin to think that restoring these buildings will help to retain and pull new people into the area, ones who want a stable housing market and a safe place to live.  Historic preservation brings stable communities, increased property value and good paying jobs to the economy. Come on, Niagara Falls… you can do it!!

Anyhow, I am getting off my soap box. These houses are wonderful. Lets celebrate Niagara Falls once in a while!