Niagara Parks Power Station

By Building Last updated May 12, 2022

Aerial view of Horseshoe Falls with the Niagara Parks Power Station at upper right. Photo credit: Niagara Parks Commission.

Constructed between 1901 and 1905, the 587-foot-long Niagara Parks Power Station (NPPS) occupies a unique position in the history of the electrical and industrial revolutions.The station marks a time when George Westinghouse and his business partner Nikola Tesla used their generators and alternating current (AC) to supply electricity on an unprecedented scale. Financed by J.P. Morgan and other business titans who recognized the transformational impact of this power station, NPPS became the global model for the fledgling hydroelectric power industry.

The ticket desk’s wraparound wave motif evokes the water powering the plant. The desk’s shape inconspicuously accommodates accessibility requirements with standing-height and wheelchair-height counters. Photo credit: David Lasker Photography.

As part of a team engaged by Niagara Parks across numerous industries, +VG Architects was the Architect of Record in the adaptive reuse of the station into an educational and entertainment destination.

“Converting such a historic property, located at one of the world’s wonders, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a great honour,” said Paul Sapounzi, President, and Managing Principal of +VG Architects (+VG). “And now, with renewable, carbon-zero power sources in the news, this building, the prototype for green energy generation, is more relevant than ever.” “As the stewards of the last power station in the world of this size and vintage that’s completely intact, we wanted to maintain the building’s heritage, while developing Niagara Falls’ newest attraction,” said Kim Viney, Senior Director of Business Development at the Niagara Parks Commission. “This is a key monument in Canada’s cultural and economic history.”

The NPPS complex consists of a gathering weir, an ice-screen barrier and outer forebay, inner forebay, generator hall, office administration block and control room, wheel pit, tailrace tunnel and the adjacent Niagara Parkway Bridge.

View of the generator hall from the entrance balcony with the entry to the new washrooms, left, and construction hoarding, right, covering the conversion of the shaft to a glass-elevator ride to the tailrace tunnel. Photo credit: David Lasker Photography.

The generator hall is the major, defining space within the powerhouse. An imposing 587 feet (179 metres) long and 102 feet (31 metres) wide, it contains Westinghouse’s and Tesla’s 11 generators, a parallel row of breakers and a travelling overhead crane. Adjoining the generator hall is the inner forebay, the area where water from the Niagara River was filtered by the fine ice rack to remove ice and debris before entering the penstocks, the massive pipes delivering water to the station’s turbines.

Having written the Strategic Conservation Plan for Queen Victoria Park, the district that includes the NPPS and its two sister decommissioned power stations, +VG tackled the key design elements of the station’s adaptive reuse.

This posed a challenge that required strict adherence to Ontario’s building code and safety regulations, while preserving the building’s historical integrity and as much as possible of the public’s view of the powerhouse’s original operation areas and equipment. “Because of the powerhouse’s excellent condition, we focused our approach on stabilized conservation, instead of restoration or renovation, treating the building’s cumulative history and all its layers as a living document,” said Mr. Sapounzi.

To create a fire separation between the generator hall and inner forebay at the entry to the Power Station Shop, the original wood-plank flooring was replaced with faux-wood stamped concrete. Photo credit: David Lasker Photography.

The generator hall now showcases the station’s equipment and artifacts repurposed as interpretive installations and interactive exhibits. Here, +VG created a new entrance vestibule, ticket desk and washrooms. The inner forebay still contains flowing Niagara water, coursing along the fine ice rack, as well as new retail and presentation areas. A new basement houses all-new HVAC, electrical, plumbing, drainage, ventilation and fire safety systems.

A section of the inner forebay’s water-filled basin was retained to show how the space originally functioned. A concrete pour at the rear and sides created a dry basement for new infrastructure. Photo credit: David Lasker Photography.

Beginning in July 2022, a new glass-walled elevator will descend 180 feet (55 metres) down through the power station’s vast underground passages to the wheel-pit floor, where a 2,200-foot-long (671-metre) tailrace tunnel with interpretive media installations will lead visitors to a portal and a new viewing platform that extends into the lower Niagara River at the base of Horseshoe Falls.

Aerial view of the gathering weir, ice rack suspended from the pedestrian bridge, outer forebay, Niagara Parkway bridge and powerhouse. Photo credit: Mario Madau.

Building safety was paramount for an attraction that will host thousands. Fire-control measures include a new fire-alarm system, sprinklers throughout, one-hour horizontal and vertical fire separations between all floors and at new entrances and exits; new exit stairs at each end of the building for all floors and the roof; and protected corridors, refuge areas and additional escape routes. An emergency standby generator, a mechanical ventilation system and a new municipal water line to ensure adequate emergency water flow were also added.

“We are thrilled, and so proud of our new attraction,” said Ms. Viney. “During the day, the building and its artifacts bring to life its history and breakthrough technology to show how electricity was generated here for 100 years. On weekends, children can attend workshops to explore their curiosity and creativity through science, technology, engineering and mathematics. At night, an exciting interactive sound-and-light show, Currents: Niagara’s Power Transformed, uses 3-D projections to immerse visitors in the path of a drop of water from Horseshoe Falls as it enters the station, travels through the turbines and is changed into electricity. We’ve put the magic and majesty of the falls back at the core of the visitor experience and are looking forward to hosting visitors from around the globe in the years to come.”