Canadian skyscraper a symbol of boomtown

   As you drive to the top of the South Grand Island bridge from the north, there are a couple of split seconds when you can see the Niagara Falls skyline in the rear view mirror and the Buffalo skyline out the front windshield, in about the 2 o'clock direction.

   For more than 35 years, the HSBC Center in Buffalo, at 38 stories high, was the tallest building you could see from the top of the bridge.

   Not anymore.

   It has been supplanted by a 58-story Hilton Hotel tower in Niagara Falls, Ont., 50 stories of which already have gone up on the growing Falls skyline.

   Most of the manmade gleam comes from the Canadian side, where a natural wonder and two provincially run gambling casinos have combined to push the hotel trade to unparalleled heights during the past dozen years.

   The American side of the Falls also has seen an uptick in the hotel trade, as demonstrated by the 26-story, three-year-old Seneca Niagara Casino hotel and several other projects.

   To be sure, there's still lots more work to do on the New York side of the Falls, though the Canadian side stands as a testament that a region can tie a big chunk of its economy to the tourism trade -- especially one that contains an international tourist destination.

   It's worth asking this question: are any planners and developers in Buffalo watching?

   -- Scott Scanlon

Comments

[yourallidiots]

Do you guys seriously want the american side to look like canada's side- they built their freaking highway along the falls. along with a cement walkway, shops, 5 foot cement fences,
take a walk on goat island and ask your self if youd want a 50 story hilton instead of a nice park and natural beauty, you can pretty much walk up to the falls and touch the water, we have cave of the winds where you can stand under the falls, i would take that over the commercialized sellouts of the canadian side of the falls. thanks god this country has laws protecting state and natural parks.

[hate me now]

I'm sure if there was even a plan to build a large building some moroon would claim that it is too much of an environmental impact, or that it obstructyed there view like that at Gates Circle.

[Rick]

pgr88, There are 2 casinos in Niagara Falls, ON., not several, and they are both owned by the province.

[Chancellor Carlyle Roberts, II]

Of course, the HSBC tower is not technically along the Niagara River since that part of Buffalo is actually along Lake Erie.

At some point, there will be too many hotels.

[pgr88]

Note that Canada has several Casinos on their side - not just one monopoly

[Todd Bullis]

Very nice, Good job guys. Every looks great. I cant wait to visit the building.

[Mark]

Apparently some of the natives in Buffalo aren't watching either as they tap a foundation for the legal fights to put up a fight against a casino, in effect taking the lead at so called protecting us from ourselves.