Niagara Falls, N.Y. is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the United States, with recent reports indicating almost 9.5 million visitors in 2023. With such great tourism comes a significant amount of revenue. According to the New York State - Comissioned Tourism Economics research study, in 2023 visitors spent $1.082 billion in Niagara County.
However, there is a solemn reminder of neglect sitting in the middle of Niagara Falls - Main Street.
Main Street once was one of the city’s most popular commercial districts. In the late 1990’s, several small businesses closed and are still empty buildings to this day. The street has become a ghost town.
A photograph of the L.S. Silberberg fashion store in Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Main Street taken in 1903 by an unknown photographer. Photograph provided by iWitnessNiagara.
A L.S. Silberberg advertisement in the Niagara Gazette on Aug. 26, 1903. Newspaper provided by NYS Historic Newspapers.
Tourists look at the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Nov. 22, 2024.
'Possibilities', is seen written on the old L.S. Silberberg Building on Main Street in Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Nov. 22, 2024. The Silberberg building was a fashionable men's clothing store, built in 1880.
Tourists take a selfie at Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Nov. 22, 2024.
The message, 'This Was a School', is seen written on an old building on Main Street in Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Nov. 22, 2024.
A tower viewer in Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Nov. 22, 2024.
On the old L.S. Silberberg building, a heart reads, 'My love for you is... building' on Main Street in Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Nov. 22, 2024.
