Hi Rick I hope you got permission 1st? Yes it a beautiful hotel, cool a turnstile door to get in & out it's so sad that this beautiful historic hotel is left abandoned this place needs to be renovated & restored I hope the company that restores historic buildings gets off there Arse & save this treasure I can see why the celebrities loved this hotel wow yes it's a water fountain there's still letters inside the post box check it out please don't rush around inside of this hotel as it ruins the video for the viewer I prefer the explorer to have done his homework on the history of this hotel depth thanks for the laugh Rick lol, & just so you know It's Not Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean it's Definitely Olympic fact I know cos in my previous life I helped build Olympic I was 6 yrs old my dad was a ship inspector he made his own ship with his brother, that's cool rick OK your performance is next rick on you go lol it's a ballroom wow would anyone like to dance with me?it angers me when irresponsible people vandalise & put Graffiti on an historic walls in this hotel, that's so disgusting & disrespectful Grrrr.
Monroe only spent two weeks in Niagara in June 1952 while filming. She stayed at what's now known as the Crowne Plaza Hotel, just a few steps away from the Falls
It's so sad that houses, hotels, churches, etc aren't built like this anymore. The quality. The craftsmanship. The design. The art. The detail. It's all a thing of the past.
This is bringing me to tears watching this. I worked there for years as the Dining Room Hostess/ Manager and I had my Wedding Reception there in 1987. I have to many great memories of my years working for John who also owned John's
Thank you for this amazing video!!! Good news, the state has announced it is going to renovate the hotel for 50 million dollars!!!!! The hotel has been declared a historic building!!! I live 15 minutes away and have always wanted to see inside. Many wedding receptions were held in that ball room. My brother-in-law had his there. I just read about the funding to restore it yesterday, let's hope it really happens.!!!
Soooo I'm now 47 and in my youth like in my early 20's me and my friends use to go to buffalo for some rave parties. This was back when the hotel was still up and running and the casino was still the convention center. My friends would rent the center for a really big party every year and we would stay in what was called a king suite. It was right on the curve of the building and had a double room and a main room with a hart shaped Jacuzzi tub . For like $120.00 or maybe $100.00 a night. This was ALWAYS MY FAVORITE HOTEL IN ALL OF BUFFALO!!!! It was a beautiful building and just a really cool place to stay. Even if we were in Buffalo we go stay at the falls. So I say thank you for the video it brought me back to a better place. I'm sad that it looks the way it does and for the information about Capone and J.F.K and especially Marilyn Monroe. Knowing that makes my memories even more meaningful
My son in law is from Buffalo NY and he tells us that they used to go to Niagara. It's not that far from Buffalo right? I'll have to ask him if he remembers this hotel? Him and his family moved down here in GA. when he was about 13 years old.
@@bonniebrown6960 Yes Ma'am it only takes about 20-30 minutes from Buffalo 🦬 depending on what part you're coming from. I lived in Rochester NY at the time and it took about 2 hours or so to get to the falls from there. My Sister lives in Atlanta for years and now lives up in Norcross
@roberttasker3323 Hey, I am wondering how recently it was below freezing that the condensation in there would have been frozen? (near the beginning of the video he showed/said that there was ice on the floor & steps)
@playhooky He must have been in during this last winter. Some of the windows are actually missing and not boarded up ,why I don't know. There's a fence around it so how he got in i don't know but glad he did. Just amazed on how bad it is ,I mean we wallpapered all the halls in there on every floor 25 years ago. Now unlivable!
So cool that you worked there - I imagine you have a few stories to tell. May I ask what was the structure on the roof that looks like a house or a model of the hotel, in the same architecture? Do you happen to know?
There is a developer in Detroit, who completely restored a few of their downtown buildings, and did an amazing job! They need him for this building! It should be a combo of Hotel and apartments!
Agree, I have family that lives outside Detroit and we visited the restored ones the architecture is so beautiful in that area and you can see the 20's opulence.
They should restore it to its former state but NEVER make it into an apartment combo bcz it will become a dump again. Places like that invite crackheads bcz the rent is cheap.
she most likely stayed in different rooms. not everyone has a "room" in hotels. most rooms are infamous for people dying in them. but she didnt die here
@@JetStarGirl7 IF I CAN REMEMBER she was one of many that die in the infamous Beverly Hills hotel the SAME ONE Whitney Houston was murdered in ??🤔🕊🕊 🏹🪶🪶🪶🏹.
I think 🇬🇧 is slightly better, but it took a long time!! We have lost many historical buildings, but slowly over the years we are actually eventually trying to preserve😊
As a native Buffalonian, I am not surprised that such beautiful buildings end up this way. You should have seen Graycliff, the historic FLW home before it was renovated. I’m glad they are finally working on this gorgeous piece of art.
M is for mezzanine and would have taken you to the upper floor in the lobby where the balcony overlooks the entrance below. Cool place! Would have loved to have seen it in its glory days.
I am so glad I found your channel, I am from the UK and it breaks my heart that a place as beautiful as this has been left to rot. Obviously it needs a massive renovation all throughout but I think if they ever manage to sort it out I think that hotel would thrive again. Thank you for opening up the world to my eyes. It’s truly beautiful but yet a shame that nothing has been done yet. I sincerely hope that the hotel can be fully restored and saved from demolition. Old buildings like this deserve to remain open. X
The movie Cabrini that came out this past spring was filmed in part in that hotel. Some of the construction stuff could be left over stuff from that. In the movie, Francis Cabrini renovated that building into a hospital. They showed the progression of that in the movie so that might be why some of it looks renovated.
I visited Niagra Falls many times as my aunt lived in Buffalo. That was back in the 1950's and it was a bustling town and many, many tourists. We put on raincoats and did a tour behind the Falls. It's so sad for me to see the town like this. Hope it can rebound some day.
Niagara Falls on the Canadian side has been far more of a tourist destination than the American side, I think a lot of it has to do with the view of the falls being more prominent for hotels and casinos on the Canadian side. The bulk of the tourist facilities is in Ontario.
i worked there in 1989 the room that has the wall that looks new was never there that was the breakfast room open to the loby,when you walked into the front door the desk to check in was to the left.it was absolutly breathtaking. its a shame to see it in the condition its in now.but thats niagara falls for you
Stayed there in 94, I also remember the breakfast room to the right of the front doors looking in. I also remember there was a bar to the right the check in desk down three steps by side entrance. We were checking-out one Sunday and were invited by desk staff to stick around and watch the tv in the closed bar to see Nancy and Tonya skate their routine in 1994 Winter Olympics. Very cool.
“I was in here yesterday just taking cellphone shots and stuff. Nothings changed much!” Were you expecting floors to collapse overnight or something? 😅
Does it frustrate anyone else how uneducated this dude is about everything? Demo --> “guys I think they’re going to demo this place” smh M --> what is m? SMH Obvious sign --> what is this thing? Why does it have lights in it? SMH Obvious gilded facade ---> this is almost like gilded. SMH Obvious phone cubby ----> what goes in here? SMH Obvious water fountain ---> are these fountains of some sort? SMH
It must have been a hotel only phone, otherwise why have a phone booth? I think the other one was a fountain though because the bottom was bowled with a drain.
@@SarahGreen523yes it was so you could call up the room from the lobby, like if you wanted to ask your spouse to come downstairs or if you were visiting one of the hotel guests and wanted to call before going upstairs
This building has changed hands several times over the years. They have attempted several times to renovate it as well with the last attempt being just before Covid. The goal has been to create condos. But that stopped so it makes sense why the building is so torn up. A few days ago they announced a 44 million dollar renovation to this building. I hope it’s actually completed. This is my hometown. I now live in Texas. But I love seeing the views and the inside of this building. Oh and by the way your camera angle was positioned perfectly towards the falls. If you look in the distance you can see the mist coming from the falls. Thanks for posting.
I was there about 15 years ago, both the Canadian side and the NY side. The NY side was a ghost town back then too. I remember walking around in the middle of the roads because there were no cars at all. What little tourist attractions they did have were all pretty run down looking too. The Canadian side was very nice however, with lots to do.
Ranger Rick: Marilyn Monroe stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, still in operation, during the filming of NIAGARA (Fox, 1953). Whoever told you otherwise has some kind of secret agenda. You took us through a fascinating place here and it reminds me of the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit when it closed in 1983. The plaster design on the ceilings and the walls are the same as what my family and I saw back then in Detroit. There probably were famous people who stayed there, as well as untold thousands of honeymooners, but Marilyn Monroe wasn’t one of them.
I had my wedding reception in the ball room in 1984 which was on the Mezzanine. It was such a beautiful place. The crystal chandelier, crown molding and the dance floor was a wood dance floor and was the best. The staff was wonderful under John (the owner) it was a wonderful place to host our many relatives from New York City. Every time we go back we check to see if any progress has happened. We are so hoping this beautiful hotel will be brought back to it glorious self!
That Electrical equipment with the Hum had a Load running through. Something there is drawing power from it. My guess is this is a Project on Hold. This is Architecture that can not be built these days. Just not Cost Effective to do the old Craftsmanship thing. What a Beautiful Building and it probably has some cool history. A thing to note on tall buildings. The 13th. Floor is usually not used as the number 13 is superstitious. 13th. Floors are usually used for all the Building's Mechanicals, Electricals, HVAC, etc. and not used for people. I have been in Elevators where there is no button for the 13th. floor. There is a hidden access for Maintanence people.
You're right, they don't build like this anymore because the craftsmen who knew how are all dead, plus it's very expensive and takes a loooong time to build beautiful architecture like that. Today people like to use cheap products and build it fast; nothing is meant to last as long as this old gal has. I still hold hope that someone will put the time and love into it again. She's a beautiful old lady and deserves some love and respect.
Always cool to see places like that. You can imagine the different historical figures that walked those halls. I did read that a developer is renovating the building sometime this fall.
Google says: The hotel's heating system failed, causing water pipes to burst and water to gush into parts of the building for days. The water damage was made worse by thieves who left holes in the roof to scrap copper wiring and plumbing Amidee Hotels & Resorts filed for bankruptcy, causing the property to be abandoned and fall into foreclosure. A $42 million restoration project was planned to open the hotel in 2021, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
M = Mezzanine- The power has to be kept on more than likely for the fire suppression system in the building. Sorry, but the whole Marilyn Monroe bit was total clickbait. You never really established her connection or any of the other famous people's connection to the hotel. Terrible storyline. Next time, do some research and present some factual information relative to your story and thumbnail.
I'm thinking that the Marilyn Monroe connection was that she likely stayed there when she was shooting that movie "Niagra". (She was great in that, btw!)
I think those niches on the wall may have been used for cigarettes butts. I have seen them before and they were filled with sand to extinguish a cigarette which was popular pleasure for many years before they knew it caused cancer!
No, it isn't. It is the sign for the Indian Room lounge that was located in the hotel. This is the top of the massive sign that once was prominently attached to the northwest side of the hotel on Second Street, above the outside entrance to the Indian Room lounge.
I would be nice if they start back up with the renovations and restoration of that hotel. I remember it from 1982 when we where at Niagara Falls on the American side for Labor day weekend. We would walk pass that hotel to get to the falls every time.
Thank you for a very interesting explore. Breaks my heart to see a once magnificent place in such a horrible condition. I grew up and lived in Niagara Falls until the mid 90s. The grand ball room, and the rest of that hotel were absolutely beautiful at one time. So very sad.
😮😮 it's BEAUTIFUL, THANK YOU FOR SHARING. I'm 67 years old and I have to say it's spooky 😮. I would love to see it renovated. ❤. You are BRAVE lol lol.
Niagara Falls has seen better days, although it has been improving over the past decade in some neighborhoods. The city is seeing many investors buying up properties and rehabilitating them as airb&b lodging. The Hotel Niagara always had a bust restaurant and banquet facilities. It also had a bustling lounge/nightclub called the Indian Room. The Indian head metal sign in the lobby was the top of a very large "blade" sign that hung on the west side of the building, with neon tube lighting the prominent "Indian Room" sign. The lounge itself originally had artist-painted murals on the walls depicting the indigenous people who inhabited the region during pre-colonial times. The murals featured three-dimensional highlights of trees and tools and facial features, including the noses of the person's depicted. The city's heyday was the 1950s, when the New York State power authority spent hundreds of millions of dollars constructing the Niagara Falls Power Project several miles downriver from the actual Falls. The industry that dominated the city was the chemical and the abrasive industries. Companies with manufacturing facilities in the city included DuPont, Olin chem, HChem chem, Durez plastics, Goodyear rubber, Carborundum abrasive, Union Carbide, Moore business forms, Occidental chemical and Nabisco. Some facilities are still in operation, but most of the manufacturing plants are either abandoned or have been dismantled. There was never a steel or car parts industry in NF. Those plants were located in Buffalo and nearby Lockport. The mafia was very active during the 50s and 60s. The mafia boss Stefano Maggadino lived in the city and operated a funeral home for many years. I knew his widow who was a kind, caring lady who was elegant and vital in her 90s. The Seneca-Niagara casino is not in decline nor is it "sad" or decaying in any way. Your perception of a "dead" city has more to do with the time of year you visited than anything else. This video was obviously filmed during the deep winter months, judging by the frozen state of the roofs and the State Park.
It's so weird that there are so many abandoned buildings and so many homeless people that could potentially occupy them, but none of that is happening.
We have corruption, yes, but that's not totally accurate. The building was in need of significant repairs and was closed for renovations the owners really couldn't afford .... Wasn't suitable to turn into housing. Then they lost the hotel to bankruptcy. At some point, a heater failed causing water pipes to freeze, which cause the building to be condemned. It changed ownership many times and was finally set for some need repairs in 2019, then enters covid. I believe it's been sold again and new plans to restore are in progress.
This hotel reminds me of the Floridian in downtown Tampa. It was built in the 1920s and was a lux hotel that Elivis allegedly stayed at. Later, I believe they used it for soldiers to stay in during the war and then in the 70s fell into disrepair. It was abandoned for decades and I called it "my hotel" and said if I won the lottery I was going to renovate it. Well, someone else renovated it! I had drinks in the bar with friends before and it was cool. We finally stayed there a year or so ago and it was kind of a letdown because the group that revitalized it just sold it and a new group was apparently redoing the dining room again so no restaurant and no bar. Also no hot water on the 15th floor... But it did have that mail chute by the elevators than ran from the top floor all the way down. I went by it the other day and the bar is open again so hopefully it will get another chance to thrive.
Ok correct me if I'm wrong but the cove/inlay in the wall by the elevator would have been for a house phone... and M on the elevator stands for mezzanine or lounge
@11:47 This is what the M on the elevator is standing for, it’s called a Mezzanine! What a beauty of a building, I do hope they restore it back to the way it was!! Thanks for showing us!! 👏🏻🌹💕
So fun fact it actually costs more to turn off the power to abandon buildings for the electric company so a lot of times these buildings still have power because the electric companies just don't want to waste the dime
Love your videos … I love all videos that explore and show the past and places that may be once more … this hotel is looking solid but I can see why no one is in a rush to renovate and bring this hotel back to it’s former glory … condos could be an option !! But the neighborhood speaks volumes … I bet that is why it sits as is … sad though . Ranger Rick you are so damn handsome .. I hope you get more compliments as I state !!! Wish you well and safe travels in your future travels.
In its heyday just imagine the number of people who came through that revolving door, as well as the number of celebrities to the delight of the hotel guests. It's so sad to see a building of such opulence later become a "budget" hotel and then in it's retirement left to rot away. While there is graffiti in the building I'm rather surprised that there is not a lot more of it. Thank you for sharing this video.
That's today's value friend! She and DMaggio lived at the Lexington Hotel in Manhattan. My husband and I stayed in the apartment as they didn't change the decorations or interior design. We were friends of the owner of the Hotel. The apartment was black & white with tons of foil. Thanks for the memory as Bob would say
Love the Georgian Chandeliers. Can you see the Canadian side of Niagara. I'm Canadian and have been three 3 times I think. I wonder if the Indian light was a sign over a cigar store/ concession store. One of the rooms was likely a hair salon, and another a piano bar. Great hotel. TY/
M on the elevator means mezzanine . It’s the open floor between the ground floor and the next higher enclosed floor. Like a big open balcony on the inside.
It is a tour style walkway victorian architecture draw, but also banquet halls and formal dining room, places for rentals in regalia as weddings, parties, events.
M on the elevator stands for Mezzanine which would be the balcony level just above the lobby. It drives me crazy that they will build boring new structures and neglect beautiful places like this one.
Hi Rick❤, the first thing that you said you didn’t know what it was, I think was a phone booth, I’m not sure about that but that’s what came across my mind, then you come across the real phone booth so idk 🤷♀️, they could be drinking fountains, I’ve never seen a shoe shine place that’s so cool!!! Thank you for showing us Nigeria Falls that was so cool, and to see the place where Marilyn Monroe roamed is cool also!!!
13:43 The floor is the 1st carpet they used in hotels back then but now if you did not know that you would think that is brand new not 20 ish years old.
Oh wow! I loved everything about your video!! I am educated on a few things about this beautiful hotel and everything inside it. I really enjoyed learning a new breed of spider, the Zombie Spider!! How cool are they??!!
"M" is for "mezzanine." a low story between two others in a building, typically between the ground and first floors. "a mezzanine floor" What a beautiful building, so full of history. You can almost feel the spirits floating through that ballroom. Stunning, and "yes," those bronze alcoves in the walls were drinking fountains. I would love to have seen this back in the day.
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"M" stands for Mezzanine on the elevator. The old style telephone booth had a folding glass door rather than a sliding glass door.
Hi Rick I hope you got permission 1st? Yes it a beautiful hotel, cool a turnstile door to get in & out it's so sad that this beautiful historic hotel is left abandoned this place needs to be renovated & restored I hope the company that restores historic buildings gets off there Arse & save this treasure I can see why the celebrities loved this hotel wow yes it's a water fountain there's still letters inside the post box check it out please don't rush around inside of this hotel as it ruins the video for the viewer I prefer the explorer to have done his homework on the history of this hotel depth thanks for the laugh Rick lol, & just so you know It's Not Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean it's Definitely Olympic fact I know cos in my previous life I helped build Olympic I was 6 yrs old my dad was a ship inspector he made his own ship with his brother, that's cool rick OK your performance is next rick on you go lol it's a ballroom wow would anyone like to dance with me?it angers me when irresponsible people vandalise & put Graffiti on an historic walls in this hotel, that's so disgusting & disrespectful Grrrr.
Slow down.....maybe you've seen this before, but we haven't!
Monroe only spent two weeks in Niagara in June 1952 while filming. She stayed at what's now known as the Crowne Plaza Hotel, just a few steps away from the Falls
😢what kind of perks 10s 20s 30s #901
It's so sad that houses, hotels, churches, etc aren't built like this anymore. The quality. The craftsmanship. The design. The art. The detail. It's all a thing of the past.
Omg couldn't agree more. Art died.. and history isn't protected.
Exactly~they now look like my grade school house drawings......🏠......no character just lines...
Welcome to america. Home of the dull and land of the slaves
More sad that this building is empty
Yeah money went further back then if you actually had it tho
This is bringing me to tears watching this. I worked there for years as the Dining Room Hostess/ Manager and I had my Wedding Reception there in 1987. I have to many great memories of my years working for John who also owned John's
it deserves to be restored. i am so sorry ❤
Thank you for this amazing video!!! Good news, the state has announced it is going to renovate the hotel for 50 million dollars!!!!! The hotel has been declared a historic building!!! I live 15 minutes away and have always wanted to see inside. Many wedding receptions were held in that ball room. My brother-in-law had his there. I just read about the funding to restore it yesterday, let's hope it really happens.!!!
That’s awesome news!
Hopefully New York doesn’t shaft real estate developers and it’s looking like it’s starting to do 🥲
Fund raiser on UA-cam??
@@hopebird44 that's super cool to hear and may even make me take a trip back home to see it when it happens
Great news 😊
What a beautiful mess . M was for mezzanine, a half floor for the lobby. Hope the place gets renovated but if the city is dead, chances are slim.
Someone who has the wealth must intervene, history must be saved please.
@@christinalock9937Hold that thought , It's a good one.
Soooo I'm now 47 and in my youth like in my early 20's me and my friends use to go to buffalo for some rave parties. This was back when the hotel was still up and running and the casino was still the convention center. My friends would rent the center for a really big party every year and we would stay in what was called a king suite. It was right on the curve of the building and had a double room and a main room with a hart shaped Jacuzzi tub . For like $120.00 or maybe $100.00 a night. This was ALWAYS MY FAVORITE HOTEL IN ALL OF BUFFALO!!!! It was a beautiful building and just a really cool place to stay. Even if we were in Buffalo we go stay at the falls. So I say thank you for the video it brought me back to a better place. I'm sad that it looks the way it does and for the information about Capone and J.F.K and especially Marilyn Monroe. Knowing that makes my memories even more meaningful
My son in law is from Buffalo NY and he tells us that they used to go to Niagara. It's not that far from Buffalo right? I'll have to ask him if he remembers this hotel? Him and his family moved down here in GA. when he was about 13 years old.
Niagara hotel was Niagara falls new york not Buffalo.
@@bonniebrown6960 Yes Ma'am it only takes about 20-30 minutes from Buffalo 🦬 depending on what part you're coming from. I lived in Rochester NY at the time and it took about 2 hours or so to get to the falls from there. My Sister lives in Atlanta for years and now lives up in Norcross
@@ade4682 Yes indeed it is and there's a difference but a lot of people who are not familiar just consider the falls as part of Buffalo 🦬
11:04 floor ripple lmao
I can imagine how gorgeous it was decorated for the holidays. I love old architecture.
We must save architectural history at all costs.
Would be a huge shame to demo this, it’s a beautiful piece of history
History should be saved.
Worked in that building about 25 years ago . Was actually in working order.cant believe what happened to it. What a total disaster inside.
Was that an apartment on the roof? I wonder why he didn't show that?!
@roberttasker3323 Hey, I am wondering how recently it was below freezing that the condensation in there would have been frozen? (near the beginning of the video he showed/said that there was ice on the floor & steps)
@playhooky He must have been in during this last winter. Some of the windows are actually missing and not boarded up ,why I don't know. There's a fence around it so how he got in i don't know but glad he did. Just amazed on how bad it is ,I mean we wallpapered all the halls in there on every floor 25 years ago. Now unlivable!
4:41 could be a telephone station. M stands for Mezzanine.
So cool that you worked there - I imagine you have a few stories to tell. May I ask what was the structure on the roof that looks like a house or a model of the hotel, in the same architecture? Do you happen to know?
There is a developer in Detroit, who completely restored a few of their downtown buildings, and did an amazing job! They need him for this building! It should be a combo of Hotel and apartments!
Agree, I have family that lives outside Detroit and we visited the restored ones the architecture is so beautiful in that area and you can see the 20's opulence.
That's really neat! I wish there were programs to learn how to create & restore older architecture ❤
Respect to this developer, someone who appreciates history has my Respect everytime.
They should restore it to its former state but NEVER make it into an apartment combo bcz it will become a dump again. Places like that invite crackheads bcz the rent is cheap.
what is the developer's name by chance?
Who was waiting for Marylin’s room to be shown? Video was cool, but a setup for sure.
I think all these UA-cam trespassers just don't have much for brains anyway
Wait, is this clickbait Mate?!?! Oh let me run 🏃🏾♀️ my arse right on outta here with swiftness!! 🤦🏽♀️👎🏽
she most likely stayed in different rooms. not everyone has a "room" in hotels. most rooms are infamous for people dying in them. but she didnt die here
@@JetStarGirl7 IF I CAN REMEMBER she was one of many that die in the infamous Beverly Hills hotel the SAME ONE Whitney Houston was murdered in ??🤔🕊🕊
🏹🪶🪶🪶🏹.
No.. monroe died in her own house. not in a hotel.@@brittneyakabeezus260
It's a absolute travesty that these buildings are left to decay.
What a shame, I stayed there in 2002 for my first anniversary with my now ex husband. It was so beautiful.
Thankyou for your info 🇬🇧 here. South West England.
Does anyone else think it’s beautiful?
It's gorgeous!
Faded glory what a dump like the rest of the state .🤔
100%
To me, it's nothing special on the outside, but inside!..... it's stunningly beautiful!!💋👍👍👍
Remember it was back in 1920's
Niagara Falls used to be a major Honeymoon destination way back when.
Yes, my mom honeymooned their back in early 1950's.
@@cheryl4549how lovely to hear your mum honeymooned their in the 50,s. I do hope it can all be restored 🇬🇧 south west Greetings.
That's Right! My Parents Got Married In 1956 And Honeymooned In Niagara Falls!
And the Poconos
America doesn't hardly preserve anything like other countries do.
I think 🇬🇧 is slightly better, but it took a long time!! We have lost many historical buildings, but slowly over the years we are actually eventually trying to preserve😊
Preservation costs money, and you're talking about a privately-owned building.
There are 1000’s of abandoned mansions, castles, and similar hotels all around the world. Can’t keep them all. It ain’t worth it.
It's the US not America, America is a Continent.
Things aren't renovated in the east as much as in the west I've noticed.
As a native Buffalonian, I am not surprised that such beautiful buildings end up this way. You should have seen Graycliff, the historic FLW home before it was renovated. I’m glad they are finally working on this gorgeous piece of art.
Its not as bad as i thought it can still be restored
Right I was thinking the same thing
Nice viedo. What u thought was fountains by the elevator is the old stile ash trays for smoker's
M is for mezzanine and would have taken you to the upper floor in the lobby where the balcony overlooks the entrance below. Cool place! Would have loved to have seen it in its glory days.
I would love to see this hotel restored and opened back up. I love the architecture
I am so glad I found your channel, I am from the UK and it breaks my heart that a place as beautiful as this has been left to rot. Obviously it needs a massive renovation all throughout but I think if they ever manage to sort it out I think that hotel would thrive again. Thank you for opening up the world to my eyes. It’s truly beautiful but yet a shame that nothing has been done yet. I sincerely hope that the hotel can be fully restored and saved from demolition. Old buildings like this deserve to remain open. X
The movie Cabrini that came out this past spring was filmed in part in that hotel. Some of the construction stuff could be left over stuff from that. In the movie, Francis Cabrini renovated that building into a hospital. They showed the progression of that in the movie so that might be why some of it looks renovated.
I was just going to ask that. I recognized it.
I visited Niagra Falls many times as my aunt lived in Buffalo. That was back in the 1950's and it was a bustling town and many, many tourists. We put on raincoats and did a tour behind the Falls. It's so sad for me to see the town like this. Hope it can rebound some day.
Niagara Falls on the Canadian side has been far more of a tourist destination than the American side, I think a lot of it has to do with the view of the falls being more prominent for hotels and casinos on the Canadian side. The bulk of the tourist facilities is in Ontario.
The robert moses parkway destroyed Niagara falls for the past 50 plus years.
Our family stayed here when I was a child on our trips to Niagra Falls.
i worked there in 1989 the room that has the wall that looks new was never there that was the breakfast room open to the loby,when you walked into the front door the desk to check in was to the left.it was absolutly breathtaking. its a shame to see it in the condition its in now.but thats niagara falls for you
Stayed there in 94,
I also remember the breakfast room to the right of the front doors looking in.
I also remember there was a bar to the right the check in desk down three steps by side entrance. We were checking-out one Sunday and were invited by desk staff to stick around and watch the tv in the closed bar to see Nancy and Tonya skate their routine in 1994 Winter Olympics. Very cool.
The Baker Hotel is almost entirely renovated so many this Hotel will be saved as well
This hotel would make a nice scary movie location great video ranger Rick.
Did you notice the Bathroom urinals were the same shape as the ones in The Shining. Then the red down the stairs.
@@pgtmr2713yes it does look like the Overlook hotel bathroom
“I was in here yesterday just taking cellphone shots and stuff. Nothings changed much!”
Were you expecting floors to collapse overnight or something? 😅
😂😂😂😂
That small gold alcove was where a phone was housed
Exactly 🎉
Does it frustrate anyone else how uneducated this dude is about everything?
Demo --> “guys I think they’re going to demo this place” smh
M --> what is m? SMH
Obvious sign --> what is this thing? Why does it have lights in it? SMH
Obvious gilded facade ---> this is almost like gilded. SMH
Obvious phone cubby ----> what goes in here? SMH
Obvious water fountain ---> are these fountains of some sort? SMH
It must have been a hotel only phone, otherwise why have a phone booth? I think the other one was a fountain though because the bottom was bowled with a drain.
I was thinking ash tray😂
@@SarahGreen523yes it was so you could call up the room from the lobby, like if you wanted to ask your spouse to come downstairs or if you were visiting one of the hotel guests and wanted to call before going upstairs
What an amazing building, i hope it get saved and people get to enjoying staying there again. Such a cool spot
This building has changed hands several times over the years. They have attempted several times to renovate it as well with the last attempt being just before Covid. The goal has been to create condos. But that stopped so it makes sense why the building is so torn up. A few days ago they announced a 44 million dollar renovation to this building. I hope it’s actually completed.
This is my hometown. I now live in Texas. But I love seeing the views and the inside of this building. Oh and by the way your camera angle was positioned perfectly towards the falls. If you look in the distance you can see the mist coming from the falls. Thanks for posting.
Nothing today even comes close to the beauty back then😔
I was there about 15 years ago, both the Canadian side and the NY side. The NY side was a ghost town back then too. I remember walking around in the middle of the roads because there were no cars at all. What little tourist attractions they did have were all pretty run down looking too. The Canadian side was very nice however, with lots to do.
I just read something not too long ago. That said Marilyn only owned one piece of property. That was her house in California
True !
The ballroom is stunning hope it can be saved
The floor is called 'herringbone'.
Ranger Rick: Marilyn Monroe stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, still in operation, during the filming of NIAGARA (Fox, 1953). Whoever told you otherwise has some kind of secret agenda. You took us through a fascinating place here and it reminds me of the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit when it closed in 1983. The plaster design on the ceilings and the walls are the same as what my family and I saw back then in Detroit. There probably were famous people who stayed there, as well as untold thousands of honeymooners, but Marilyn Monroe wasn’t one of them.
The Book Cadillac is renovated as residences and Westin Hotel.
I had my wedding reception in the ball room in 1984 which was on the Mezzanine. It was such a beautiful place. The crystal chandelier, crown molding and the dance floor was a wood dance floor and was the best. The staff was wonderful under John (the owner) it was a wonderful place to host our many relatives from New York City. Every time we go back we check to see if any progress has happened. We are so hoping this beautiful hotel will be brought back to it glorious self!
Inlay in the lobby wall may have been for flower vases.
Amazing! I also just noticed, I think this building was used to shoot the movie Cabrini.
4:27 it’s a ancient phone booth that held a phone land line for calling in n out
😂
Exploring the Old World!! thank you for the video!
I wanted to see on the roof if that was an apartment or a penthouse. Looks like a house on top of the roof. But great place thanks for going there.
Me too! I was wondering what that was.. maybe management stayed on the property? It would be odd on the roof like that tho.
I can just imagine how opulent it was in its day. I wish we would bring some of those days back. Great video, loved seeing the falls as well ! Ty
That Electrical equipment with the Hum had a Load running through. Something there is drawing power from it. My guess is this is a Project on Hold. This is Architecture that can not be built these days. Just not Cost Effective to do the old Craftsmanship thing. What a Beautiful Building and it probably has some cool history. A thing to note on tall buildings. The 13th. Floor is usually not used as the number 13 is superstitious. 13th. Floors are usually used for all the Building's Mechanicals, Electricals, HVAC, etc. and not used for people. I have been in Elevators where there is no button for the 13th. floor. There is a hidden access for Maintanence people.
There is a band in Texas called "the 13th floor elevators" that is very cool.
You're right, they don't build like this anymore because the craftsmen who knew how are all dead, plus it's very expensive and takes a loooong time to build beautiful architecture like that. Today people like to use cheap products and build it fast; nothing is meant to last as long as this old gal has. I still hold hope that someone will put the time and love into it again. She's a beautiful old lady and deserves some love and respect.
Always cool to see places like that. You can imagine the different historical figures that walked those halls. I did read that a developer is renovating the building sometime this fall.
Google says: The hotel's heating system failed, causing water pipes to burst and water to gush into parts of the building for days. The water damage was made worse by thieves who left holes in the roof to scrap copper wiring and plumbing
Amidee Hotels & Resorts filed for bankruptcy, causing the property to be abandoned and fall into foreclosure.
A $42 million restoration project was planned to open the hotel in 2021, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
M = Mezzanine- The power has to be kept on more than likely for the fire suppression system in the building. Sorry, but the whole Marilyn Monroe bit was total clickbait. You never really established her connection or any of the other famous people's connection to the hotel. Terrible storyline. Next time, do some research and present some factual information relative to your story and thumbnail.
I'm thinking that the Marilyn Monroe connection was that she likely stayed there when she was shooting that movie "Niagra". (She was great in that, btw!)
Thanks, for saving my time.
I think those niches on the wall may have been used for cigarettes butts. I have seen them before and they were filled with sand to extinguish a cigarette which was popular pleasure for many years before they knew it caused cancer!
Cool
Yes that's gotta be it. I thought they were fountains at first but cigarettes makes sense.
Beautiful place.thank you Rick from England ❤
7:28 That's original Pontiac dealership sign
Thanks for that! I knew I'd seen it before!
No, it isn't. It is the sign for the Indian Room lounge that was located in the hotel. This is the top of the massive sign that once was prominently attached to the northwest side of the hotel on Second Street, above the outside entrance to the Indian Room lounge.
@@pyrexmaniac Thanks: didn't look like the car brand logo. What an item, though! Won't be there long.....
I hope you're joking. But I know you're being serious. How pathetic.
I would be nice if they start back up with the renovations and restoration of that hotel. I remember it from 1982 when we where at Niagara Falls on the American side for Labor day weekend. We would walk pass that hotel to get to the falls every time.
M stands for Mezzanine (which is a parsal lvl that has an overlook at the lower floors)
Would be nice if he did a little research before making videos not knowing what’s what ..
Thank you for a very interesting explore. Breaks my heart to see a once magnificent place in such a horrible condition. I grew up and lived in Niagara Falls until the mid 90s. The grand ball room, and the rest of that hotel were absolutely beautiful at one time. So very sad.
😮😮 it's BEAUTIFUL, THANK YOU FOR SHARING. I'm 67 years old and I have to say it's spooky 😮. I would love to see it renovated. ❤. You are BRAVE lol lol.
That could be flipped for condos. Beautiful ❤️
I've seen this maybe a couple years ago. Is there any chance of looking up pictures of the inside on Google or whatever? If you find them please post.
Niagara Falls has seen better days, although it has been improving over the past decade in some neighborhoods. The city is seeing many investors buying up properties and rehabilitating them as airb&b lodging.
The Hotel Niagara always had a bust restaurant and banquet facilities. It also had a bustling lounge/nightclub called the Indian Room. The Indian head metal sign in the lobby was the top of a very large "blade" sign that hung on the west side of the building, with neon tube lighting the prominent "Indian Room" sign. The lounge itself originally had artist-painted murals on the walls depicting the indigenous people who inhabited the region during pre-colonial times. The murals featured three-dimensional highlights of trees and tools and facial features, including the noses of the person's depicted.
The city's heyday was the 1950s, when the New York State power authority spent hundreds of millions of dollars constructing the Niagara Falls Power Project several miles downriver from the actual Falls. The industry that dominated the city was the chemical and the abrasive industries. Companies with manufacturing facilities in the city included DuPont, Olin chem, HChem chem, Durez plastics, Goodyear rubber, Carborundum abrasive, Union Carbide, Moore business forms, Occidental chemical and Nabisco. Some facilities are still in operation, but most of the manufacturing plants are either abandoned or have been dismantled. There was never a steel or car parts industry in NF. Those plants were located in Buffalo and nearby Lockport.
The mafia was very active during the 50s and 60s. The mafia boss Stefano Maggadino lived in the city and operated a funeral home for many years. I knew his widow who was a kind, caring lady who was elegant and vital in her 90s.
The Seneca-Niagara casino is not in decline nor is it "sad" or decaying in any way. Your perception of a "dead" city has more to do with the time of year you visited than anything else. This video was obviously filmed during the deep winter months, judging by the frozen state of the roofs and the State Park.
It's so weird that there are so many abandoned buildings and so many homeless people that could potentially occupy them, but none of that is happening.
Yes its corrupt :)
Always will be
We have corruption, yes, but that's not totally accurate. The building was in need of significant repairs and was closed for renovations the owners really couldn't afford .... Wasn't suitable to turn into housing. Then they lost the hotel to bankruptcy. At some point, a heater failed causing water pipes to freeze, which cause the building to be condemned. It changed ownership many times and was finally set for some need repairs in 2019, then enters covid. I believe it's been sold again and new plans to restore are in progress.
That’s ridiculous . This building isn’t safe to live in.
Food that is still edible is also not left out for those who would eat it, for their safety. Living on the street isn't safe either.
Great explore, thank I enjoyed watching this.
I love The Older Hotels and how they can last. But then they are Abandoned.
What an expensive mess.
25:55 My guess is weighted things keeping a tarp underneath down to prevent flooding into the building when not frozen.
This hotel reminds me of the Floridian in downtown Tampa. It was built in the 1920s and was a lux hotel that Elivis allegedly stayed at. Later, I believe they used it for soldiers to stay in during the war and then in the 70s fell into disrepair. It was abandoned for decades and I called it "my hotel" and said if I won the lottery I was going to renovate it. Well, someone else renovated it! I had drinks in the bar with friends before and it was cool. We finally stayed there a year or so ago and it was kind of a letdown because the group that revitalized it just sold it and a new group was apparently redoing the dining room again so no restaurant and no bar. Also no hot water on the 15th floor... But it did have that mail chute by the elevators than ran from the top floor all the way down. I went by it the other day and the bar is open again so hopefully it will get another chance to thrive.
Thanks for sharing this with us
The guard rails are called bannisters, the doors on the phone booth are not called sliding doors, they are accordion doors.
Fantastic episode Rick! Always hurts seeing such amazing places be gutted
Ok correct me if I'm wrong but the cove/inlay in the wall by the elevator would have been for a house phone... and M on the elevator stands for mezzanine or lounge
@11:47 This is what the M on the elevator is standing for, it’s called a Mezzanine! What a beauty of a building, I do hope they restore it back to the way it was!! Thanks for showing us!! 👏🏻🌹💕
“M” on the elevators most likely stood for “mezzanine” as there’s an upper balcony to the main lobby room before the next floors
Love that an “urban explorer” didn’t know that the alcove was for a phone and that M on an elevator stand for mezzanine
Not necessary. Unhappy? Trying to pass it on?
So fun fact it actually costs more to turn off the power to abandon buildings for the electric company so a lot of times these buildings still have power because the electric companies just don't want to waste the dime
This is so cool you did an excellent job thank you I enjoyed this video 📹 😀 😊 😄
Love your videos … I love all videos that explore and show the past and places that may be once more … this hotel is looking solid but I can see why no one is in a rush to renovate and bring this hotel back to it’s former glory … condos could be an option !! But the neighborhood speaks volumes … I bet that is why it sits as is … sad though . Ranger Rick you are so damn handsome .. I hope you get more compliments as I state !!! Wish you well and safe travels in your future travels.
Thank you for watching.
In its heyday just imagine the number of people who came through that revolving door, as well as the number of celebrities to the delight of the hotel guests. It's so sad to see a building of such opulence later become a "budget" hotel and then in it's retirement left to rot away. While there is graffiti in the building I'm rather surprised that there is not a lot more of it. Thank you for sharing this video.
So sad to see it waste away.
Marylin Monroe never had a $42 million penthouse, she never had that kind of money
She and DiMaggio stayed in that penthouse while she filmed the movie, “Niagara.”
That's today's value friend! She and DMaggio lived at the Lexington Hotel in Manhattan. My husband and I stayed in the apartment as they didn't change the decorations or interior design. We were friends of the owner of the Hotel. The apartment was black & white with tons of foil. Thanks for the memory as Bob would say
Thank you! And thank you for not adding trashy background "music". GOD bless
TY. M is either Main Floor or Mezzanine. The little alcove could be for either a phone or a fire extinguisher.
Love the Georgian Chandeliers. Can you see the Canadian side of Niagara. I'm Canadian and have been three 3 times I think. I wonder if the Indian light was a sign over a cigar store/ concession store. One of the rooms was likely a hair salon, and another a piano bar. Great hotel. TY/
M on the elevator means mezzanine . It’s the open floor between the ground floor and the next higher enclosed floor. Like a big open balcony on the inside.
It is a tour style walkway victorian architecture draw, but also banquet halls and formal dining room, places for rentals in regalia as weddings, parties, events.
That textured wallpaper is called 'Anaglypta' and it was popular from the 1880's to about 1930. It had a slight resurgence in the early 1990's.
The one he was caressing looked like it was from the 90's. Thank you for the education on that one though. I appreciate it.
M on the elevator stands for Mezzanine which would be the balcony level just above the lobby.
It drives me crazy that they will build boring new structures and neglect beautiful places like this one.
Ty! 👍
It's a crying thing to see this place is definitely not in better shape than it use to be
What was the female voice at the end right around the 30:54 mark? Great video, such a shame to see that beautiful hotel rotting away.
Sounded like "help me"😮
I heard that too. It sounded like an old lady saying 'hello?"
@@SarahGreen523 I also thought it sounded like an old women saying HELLO.
Hi Rick❤, the first thing that you said you didn’t know what it was, I think was a phone booth, I’m not sure about that but that’s what came across my mind, then you come across the real phone booth so idk 🤷♀️, they could be drinking fountains, I’ve never seen a shoe shine place that’s so cool!!! Thank you for showing us Nigeria Falls that was so cool, and to see the place where Marilyn Monroe roamed is cool also!!!
You just don't see buildings like this anymore.
Power boxes humming and standing in wet floors. Is that a good idea?
What a lovely building ...I like the way it meanders around the corner 🙂
Good Video Thanks for showing us.
I believe the light up Indian was in the original "Indian Room" which was a bar in the Hotel Niagra.
Mankind sure went from detailed loving decore to a cold flat minimalised such. We went downhill.
13:43 The floor is the 1st carpet they used in hotels back then but now if you did not know that you would think that is brand new not 20 ish years old.
how did you get that drone footage? im surprised you got away with flying that close to the falls.
Oh wow! I loved everything about your video!! I am educated on a few things about this beautiful hotel and everything inside it. I really enjoyed learning a new breed of spider, the Zombie Spider!! How cool are they??!!
I used to pass by this during college 12 years ago wow
Always watch your videos back after editing them. Around 4 minutes in you say almost the same exact thing twice
It was a niche for figurines or vases of flowers…
It was for the telephone
"M" is for "mezzanine."
a low story between two others in a building, typically between the ground and first floors.
"a mezzanine floor"
What a beautiful building, so full of history. You can almost feel the spirits floating through that ballroom. Stunning, and "yes," those bronze alcoves in the walls were drinking fountains. I would love to have seen this back in the day.
At the beginning of your video you were wondering if that gold feature in the wall was a fountain. I was thinking it might have been for a telephone.