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The Rapids Theatre

1921 establishments in New York (state)Buildings and structures in Niagara Falls, New YorkEvent venues established in 2009Theatres completed in 1921
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The Rapids Theatre is an indoor concert venue and events center situated in downtown Niagara Falls, New York. It hosts a variety of shows and events, including music concerts, comedy acts, wedding receptions, and corporate meetings. Some performances recently held at the Rapids include Passion Pit, Stone Temple Pilots, Pauly Shore, Morrissey, City and Colour, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Snoop Dogg, The Band Perry, Dropkick Murphys, Chevelle, the Headstones, and Eric Church. The venue was also featured on an episode of SyFy's Ghost Hunters that aired on October 19, 2011. The episode was appropriately titled "Stage Fright". Originally constructed under the name of The Bellevue Theatre in 1921, it opened as a movie theatre and vaudeville stage, complete with a grand balcony and domed ceiling. After a long history of various ownerships and management changes, it most recently reopened as the Rapids Theatre in December 2009 on Main Street, Niagara Falls.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article The Rapids Theatre (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

The Rapids Theatre
Main Street, City of Niagara Falls

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Latitude Longitude
N 43.10516 ° E -79.05273 °
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The Rapids Theatre Weddings and Special Events

Main Street 1711
14305 City of Niagara Falls
New York, United States
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Niagara Falls National Heritage Area

Niagara Falls National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area encompassing the Niagara Falls region of the U.S. State of New York. The heritage area includes the communities of Niagara Falls, Youngstown and Lewiston. The designation provides a framework for the promotion and interpretation of the area's cultural and historic character, and the preservation of the natural and built environment. The heritage area designation recognizes the area's importance to Native Americans, to early European explorers of America, the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the area's role in the Underground Railroad. The area also recognizes the contribution of the Niagara Falls region to the industrialization of the United States, as well as the development of Niagara Falls as a protected natural area. Significant landmarks within the heritage area include the Adams Power Plant Transformer House, the Niagara Reservation, and the Colonial Niagara Historic District, all National Historic Landmarks. The Adams Power Plant was the first large alternating current generating station in the world. The Niagara Reservation, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, was the first state park in the United States. The Colonial Niagara Historic District includes Fort Niagara, which has seen a military presence from 1678 to the present day. A newer attraction within the heritage area is the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center which is operated jointly by the heritage area and the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Commission. Niagara Falls National Heritage Area was authorized by the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 of August, 2008. It establishes a commission of state and local agencies, Congressional nominees, nominees of the cities of Niagara Falls, Youngstown and Lewiston, and representatives of the Seneca and Tuscarora nations.

Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge
Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge

The Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge stood from 1855 to 1877 across the Niagara River and was the world's first working railway suspension bridge. It spanned 825 feet (251 m) and stood 2.5 miles (4.0 km) downstream of Niagara Falls, where it connected Niagara Falls, Ontario to Niagara Falls, New York. Trains used the upper of its two decks, while pedestrians and carriages used the lower. The bridge was the idea of Canadian politicians, and it was built by an American company and a Canadian company. It was most commonly called the Suspension Bridge, although other names included Niagara Railway Suspension Bridge, Niagara Suspension Bridge, and its official American name of the International Suspension Bridge. The bridge was part of Canadian politician William Hamilton Merritt's vision to promote trade within his country and with its neighbor the United States. Many argued that a suspension bridge could not support the safe passage of trains, including bridge builders. Nonetheless, the bridge companies hired Charles Ellet Jr., who laid a line by a kite across the 800-foot (240 m) chasm and built a temporary suspension bridge in 1848. Ellet left the project after a financial dispute with the bridge companies, who hired John Augustus Roebling to complete the project. By 1854, his bridge was nearly complete, and the lower deck was opened for pedestrian and carriage travel. On March 18, 1855, a fully laden passenger train officially opened the completed bridge. The Suspension Bridge was a border crossing between Canada and the United States, and it played significant roles in the histories of the Niagara region and the two countries. Three railway lines crossed over the bridge, connecting cities on both sides of the border. The Great Western Railway, New York Central Railroad, and New York and Erie Rail Road differed in track gauge; the bridge used a triple gauge system to conserve space, overlapping two tracks on top of each other and using a rail of each to form the third track. The railroads brought a large influx of trade and tourists into the region around the Niagara Falls. In the time leading to the American Civil War, the Underground Railroad helped slaves in the United States escape across the Suspension Bridge to freedom in Canada. After the war, the bridge became a symbol of inspiration to Americans, encouraging them to rebuild their country and pushing them to quickly industrialize their nation. The bridge's success proved that a railway suspension bridge could be safe and operational. Its wooden structures began to decay and were replaced with stronger steel and iron versions by 1886. In 1897 the bridge was replaced by the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge and the suspension bridge was dismantled.