Several schools have stood on the northwest corner of Stanley Avenue and Portage Road, an intersection known as "The Halfway". The first school building on the site was a one room log building erected in Thompson's Bush. The year of its construction is unknown, but it served as a school until 1880, when it burned down.
A new wooden frame schoolhouse was built on the same location at the corner of Portage Road and Stanley Street. In 1918, it too was replaced with a new brick building, and the old wooden-framed schoolhouse was converted into a private dwelling.
The new brick schoolhouse had two classrooms, an assembly hall, and recreation rooms in the basement. It celebrated its official opening on February 1st, 1918. The school was officially named Victoria in 1927, shortly before the addition of three more classrooms. Over the years, the school became increasingly inadequate for its growing enrollment, despite further enlargements in 1951.
In the 1970s, a decision was made to build a new school on a 3.8 acre site between Church's Lane and Heritage Drive, about a kilometre south of the original location.
The old Victoria School building was purchased by the Greek-Canadian Cultural Association in 1980. It underwent extensive renovations, and was opened as a Greek Cultural Centre in 1983.
The building continued to serve the Niagara Greek community for more than two decades, until it was eventually put up for sale in the late 2000s. It was ultimately demolished around 2015.
As of 2021, the site remained undeveloped.
The new Victoria School is a one-storey structure with six classrooms, a kindergarten, and a library. On December 10, 1979, the staff and students moved from the old school to the new one.
Niagara Falls Museums. 2021. Early Schools of Niagara Falls. VICTORIA SCHOOL (1918-1979; NEW SCHOOL, 1979-PRESENT). https://niagarafallsmuseums.ca/discover-our-history/history-notes/schools.aspx
Niagara Falls Public Library. 2017. Niagara Falls - Then & Now: A Photographic Journey Through The Years. [Victoria School / Greek Cultural Centre].
Tolan, Eva Elliott. 1961. Early Schools. http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/data/8/3/313883-563844.jpg
Zavitz, Sherman. 2015. Did you know? Historical facts about Niagara Falls. https://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/opinion/columnists/2015/07/02/did-you-know-historical-facts-about-niagara-falls.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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