Chinese in Niagara Falls ON

Neighbourhoods change. Some evolve. Others decay, are scraped away, and vanish . . . except by those who remember. Chinatown of Niagara Falls is one of those neighbourhoods; it’s only a memory now. Archival records, photos, snippets from a willing few contribute to my own picture – of times that came before, during, and after my time there. At the same time, what persists in memory or even records may be flawed. For instance, this watercolour created by Anton N. Akkerman is titled “Erie Ave at Zimmerman” but I think it is not. Courtesy of Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library Digital Collections I believe the white building at the far left – 190 Park Street stood on the corner of Zimmerman (formerly Clifton). According to the Vernon Directories that I have copies of (1950 to 1960), the building was vacant in 1950. From 1951-1952, it was occupied by J.A. Newport & Co., Custom Brokers and the Boy Scouts Association. 190 Park St. was vacant by 1953 and remained so unti...