NIAGARA FALLS — The new visitor center at Niagara Falls State Park is now open to the public.
Visitors who want to check out the exhibits inside the $46 million Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Welcome Center will have to wait a little longer.
State officials conceded on Monday, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Gov. Kathy Hochul, that the exhibits aren’t quite finished and won’t be until sometime in early 2024.
“They’ll be open next year. That’s the target start,” said New York State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid.
Hochul, Kulleseid and other local and state officials held a press conference inside the 28,000-square-foot facility named after former Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson whose charitable foundation contributed $8 million to the project. The new center replaces the Orin Lehman Visitor Center which served as the main information and tourism center at the Falls State Park since 1985.
Plans to replace the old building with a new one were announced in 2021, with Kulleseid telling the Buffalo News at the time that a replacement was needed because the old visitor center no longer adequately served the public with its “limited entries, cramped corridors and stairways” and “claustrophobic gathering places.”
At the time, Mark Mistretta, regional director of Western New York State Parks, described the Lehman Center as “underwhelming” while saying, “Frankly, it’s an embarrassment right now.”
The new visitor center started construction in the fall of 2021. State officials originally planned to have the facility opened this past Memorial Day.
During her visit to the Falls on Monday, Hochul described the new Wilson welcoming center — which features glass walls on the first floor to allow visitors inside to enjoy the view of the park outside — as “jaw-droppingly beautiful” and more befitting “welcome mat” for the 9.4 million people who visit the state park at the Falls every year.
“The facility we had here before may have served people back 35 years ago when it was built but for those who had the vision 100 years ago to say this is a park that should be a showcase to the world, I would have recommended that they use glass so that you could actually see what we are talking about here. This is the place where you showcase to the rest of the world what is out these doors,” Hochul said.
In addition to glass walls, the new visitor center features a low roof designed to maximize views and connections to the Falls.
The center offers new ticketing and information desks, concession spaces, restroom and associated support spaces and a separate restroom building. The center was built using special patterned glass to prevent bird impacts. It also is accompanied by new footpaths, native plantings and directional signage.
State officials noted that an existing 7,000-square-foot regional administration building, immediately adjacent to the new welcoming center, has been repurposed to include a multi-use community room, regional archives and offices for Niagara regional interpretive staff.
The final phase of the project, which includes interpretive museum space offering what Hochul’s office described as “immersive” exhibits, will be open “at a later date.” According to Hochul’s office, the exhibits will highlight a “diversity of topics” including “natural, industrial and Indigenous American history, as well as outdoor exhibits and interpretive signage.”
Hochul said the center will also offer food, beverages and other items from several area vendors, including DiCamillo Bakery in the Falls, Costanzo’s Bakery, Perry’s Ice Cream and New Era Cap Co.
“There is no place in the world like Niagara Falls, and our state park has always been a beacon of natural beauty and historical significance, captivating visitors with its awe-inspiring landscapes and iconic waterfalls,” Hochul said. “Today we unveil our commitment to elevate this state jewel even further as we roll out the welcome mat to welcome the world to our state’s natural gem. This new building is a wonderful addition to this already stunning park and will help visitors plan both their visit to the park as well as to the many businesses and attractions the City of Niagara Falls and Western New York has to offer.”