Baltimore House Hotel

The original part of this venerable building was constructed by John Kirkpatrick in 1816. He used it as a general store.

Over the years various additions were made to the structure. A framed section behind the hotel was erected in the 1890s, and demolished around 1930.

Chippawa became a popular tourist destination during the early 1800's due to its close proximity to the American and Horseshoe Falls, and the Niagara River. In the late 1890s, it was converted into a hotel known as the Baltimore House. The area surrounding Baltimore House was also quite developed, and made the outer parts of Chippawa both aesthetically pleasing and accomodating for both locals and visitors.

The Baltimore House hotel remained in business until 1929.

In later years it was a variety store, a boarding house, and a clothing shop. At one point, during the 1930s, the building was owned by Sir Harry Oakes, the American-born gold mine owner, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist responsible for Oak Hall, the Oakes Garden Theatre, and Oakes Park, in Niagara Falls.

Boathouse Family Restaurant

In 1979, extensive renovations were undertaken, and the building took on a new life as a restaurant called Chaplin's. Its next incarnation came as Tailgate Charlie's roadhouse. In October of 1996, it became the home of the Boat House Restaurant, which was renowned for a variety of delicious comfort meals, including pasta, steak, and chicken complete with homemade gravy. The restaurant announced its imminent closure on October 8th, 2017, but appeared to be back in operation by 2019.

A small fire was reported at the establishment in February of 2020, but caused little damage.

Niagara Falls Public Library. 2017. Niagara Falls - Then & Now: A Photographic Journey Through The Years. [Boat House Family Restaurant].

Niagara Falls Review. 2020. Fire damages Boat House restaurant in Chippawa. https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/niagara-region/2020/02/26/fire-damages-boat-house-restaurant-in-chippawa.html

Spiteri, R. 2017. Popular Chippawa restaurant closing. St. Catharines Standard / Niagara Falls Review. https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/niagara-region/2017/09/21/popular-chippawa-restaurant-closing.html

Niagara Falls Then and Now
A collaborative project
Niagara Falls Museums - Niagara Falls Public Library - Dept. of Geography and Tourism Studies,Brock University.
Original newspaper series by Sherman Zavitz, Official Historian for the City of Niagara Falls from 1994 - 2019.

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