The plans for the Crystal Ballroom were first approved in October of 1924, designed by Brantford, Ontario’s Schultz Brothers. Construction began in November of the same year, and was complete the following April. The Crystal Ballroom opened its doors on May 1st, 1925. In total, the hall cost $80,790 to build, although it was advertised as “The Quarter-Million Dollar” Hall.

The hall could hold 3000 dancers at one time, and it was often quite full. Musicians and Orchestras performed on a stage built directly in the center of the hall so that the music would sound out to all corners. A huge mirrorball dangled from the ceiling above the stage to add some glitz.

In later years, the stage was move to one end of the floor, and a modern audio system was installed.

In the later 1970′s the hall was converted into the ‘Big Top’ Restaurant, but was converted back into a dance hall in the year 1984.

There are self-guided walking tours of the Butterfly Conservatory available,  beginning with a short, informative video presentation that is also close captioned for the hearing impaired.

Sitting within the beautifully manicured Niagara Parks, the Butterfly Conservatory is just ten minutes north of the Falls at 405 Niagara Parkway and is open year-round. A restaurant and gift shop are on site as well.

The fully accessible Conservatory was named winner of the 2007 & 2008 AccessibleNiagara.com “Breaking the Barrier” Award.

Crystal Beach Girls T-Shirt

Here’s a great t-shirt for the girls. Check it out over in the Crystal Beach Canada Store on Zazzle!

Show your love for the Nostalgic Crystal Beach Amusement Park

Check out this great Crystal Beach T-Shirt available in the Crystal Beach Canada store! This shirt makes a great gift for ANYONE who remembers the great park.

Designer Herb Schmeck (who had much to do with the revitalization of the Cyclone years prior) created the Comet as part of three coaster series. The Hersheypark “Comet” (1946) and the San Antonio “Rocket”(1947) each share similar track design and features as the Crystal Beach Comet.

Most thrill seekers that road the Comet would tell you that the best part was climbing that first 96 foot hill while gazing down on the lake water. Right as you began to descend, you could look up and get a great view of the Buffalo Skyline accross the lake. In the year 1985, the park actually modified the trains of the Comet, splitting them in half, so that one could ride facing backwards or forwards. This really made it 2 rides in one!

Entrance to the Comet

The Crystal Beach Comet used three 4-car, 3-bench trains. Designed in the ‘double out & back’ style, 29 metres high, with a drop of 27 metres, 1280 metres long. These strong measurements made it the longest in the Schmeck Comet Series. Originally, the trains inluded windscreens on the front cars and bars on the the sides of the seats to aid riders in entering and exiting the cars. The ride open on May 22, 1948. When the Crystal Beach Amusement Park Closed, the Comet was sold for $210,000 and moved to the Albany area park ‘the Great Escape”.

In 1975, the Smithsonian Institute rated the Comet in it’s top 10 coasters in the world.

Address of Rental: Only 12 minutes from the Peace Bridge, minutes from Thompson & Gilmore Road QEW exits

CONTACT NAME:: Marty  716-812-2462

Contact Number:: Marty

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