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Donnie Nesbitt
A Niagara Landmark - The Crowne Plaza Hotel Part 2
The land on which this hotel stands, was originally owned by Philip George Bender, one of the first settlers in what is now the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario. While a young man, he emigrated from Germany to New Jersey, and later moved to the Philadelphia area. While there the American Revolution broke out. As Tories, or Loyalists, he and his wife were driven from their home and persecuted to the point where they decided to relocate into Canada.
As a result, in the winter of 1776, they became part of a group of 53 Loyalists who followed the wilderness trail to Niagara. The journey was a very difficult one. Some, unable to continue, dropped out and were cared for by sympathizers. Others succumbed to disease, exhaustion, cold and hunger.
The following April, only seven out of the 53 Loyalists, including the Benders, reached Fort Niagara. Standing on the east side of the Niagara River, where it empties into Lake Ontario, the fort was still controlled by the British. Here Phillip joined Butler’s Rangers, a force that raided American frontier settlements.
In 1782, because of his loyalty and service, the British government awarded Bender a large tract of land on the Canadian side of the Niagara River facing the Falls. This Crown Grant eventually totalled some 390 acres. The Bender house stood immediately to the southwest of the site now occupied by the Crowne Plaza. Bender Street (or Hill) just north of the hotel commemorates this pioneer family.
The hotel’s planning stages began in 1927, with work beginning in early January 1929. Establishing a record for this particular type of construction in Canada, the Pigott Company of Hamilton, Ontario, completed the large project in just six months. Originally named the Hotel General Brock, it opened for business July 1, 1929.
Built at a cost of $1.5 million, the hotel boasted 260 rooms and such features as a roof garden, fireproof construction and a large ballroom, along with the last word in comfort and beauty. The local press described it as a “mammoth edifice, gleaming white in the sunlight, classic in appearance, looming over the Niagara River.”
The Crowne Plaza has played host to many famous personalities. Some of these include Marilyn Monroe, Walt Disney, Gene Autry, Jack Paar, Jimmy Stewart, Shirley Temple, former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Princess Margaret (sister of Queen Elizabeth II).
In more recent years, the hotel has played host to actresses Angelica Houston, Jessica Tandy and Bridget Fonda. Actors Matt Dillon, Matthew Perry, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, and Jackie Chan have also been guests.
Recent Canadian Prime Ministers Paul Martin, Joe Clark and Stephen Harper also paid the Brock a visit.
On June 7, 1939, King George VI of England and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, visited Niagara Falls as part of their cross-Canada tour. After viewing the famous Cataracts, the royal couple was driven to the Brock Plaza where some 12,000 school children were gathered around the hotel to greet their majesties. The King and Queen later had dinner in the Rainbow Room.
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