Ace laughed at me in this video when I predicted that I'd have 40,000 subs by the time it premiered. Subscribe so I can say that his chuckle got me to a billion subs. Love you all.
You're absolutely correct @16:00 . My cousins that lived directly on top of the hot zone in Love Canal, received $15,000. They were actually in the process of a major renovation (adding a second floor) to their home when they were evacuated. I remember when I was a kid, thinking, "wow! $15,000 is a lot!" without taking into consideration that this was supposed to make up for a family of 5, their medical issues, house, and the cost of moving. $500,000 would have been more acceptable but no amount of money could make up for the plethora of birth defects and subsequent health issues.
The City of Niagara Falls is largely to blame for the Love Canal disaster. Hooker Chemical warned the city not to touch that area and not build anything. Niagara Falls being a very corrupt city that was greedy totally ignored the warnings and developed that area anyways.
It's amazing how pervasive the narrative that the disaster was simply caused by greedy company. Thanks for posting the truth. My sister showed me the video. Even she didn't know the full story despite growing up only an hour from here.
They not only warned them, it was written specifically into the sale that land was not to be built on. It was pressure to build a new school and a subdivision around it. My cousins and aunt/uncle lived in love canal on 101st. Cancer and birth defects. Died young. I played on a racetrack in their basement that oozed black goo. But Hooker never should have sold it in the first place. I believe it was a $1 transaction.
Yes you are correct, I lived near there in the 70s and knew folks that lived on Love canal. The school board purchased the property and was warned to never build on it. @@bb58425a
Indeed Hooker Chemical did not want to sell the land and even dug pits to show city and school officials that the land contained barrels of toxic waste and was not suitable to build on. The City of Niagara Falls continued to persist and threatened to use eminent domain to seize the land. So Hooker Chemical finally relented and sold the land for $1 with an attached seventeen-line caveat stating the land contained chemical waste products (the deed can readily be found online). Then the City of Niagara Falls and Niagara Falls School Board proceeded to develop the land KNOWING THAT TOXIC CHEMICALS WERE BURIED ON THE LAND without telling any of the future home buyers. There was also a construction of a school on 99th Street. During the school building process the construction workers discovered two dump sites filled with 55-US-gallon (210 L; 46 imp gal) drums containing chemical wastes. The architect also noted it would be "poor policy" to build in that area since it was not known what wastes were present in the ground. Despite these additional warnings and notices the city again pressed on with construction anyway. Then the installation of sewer, water, and gas lines substantially breached the chemical containment structures (which included a clay cover and liner) in a number of ways, allowing the previously contained toxic chemicals to seep out and flood into people's homes and school. This is not tin foil hat stuff but well documented history that often gets buried (no pun intended) in order to protect the city and school board's reputation and cover up the fact that the City and School Board of Niagara Falls knowingly engaged in morally egregious and reprehensible behavior.
I'm shocked you don't have more subs. The amount of background research you do for your videos is impressive. You don't only capture these old structures on video but also tell their stories.
If you want some 30-something year old insider info about this place.. my father worked in OxyTower for a time in the mid 1980s. The building, when Oxy took over, housed OxyChem's Engineering department. It was closed down and sold because OxyChem moved their Engineering division to Texas. They have far more plants and operations there, and they were consolidating division headquarters in Dallas (Maybe Houston at that time. I was really young so I only kind of recall when Dad told me). Most people who worked in that building were not fans of it.. apparently it was too hot in the summer and freezing in the winter. It was called "The Ice Cube", cause it was so cold in the winter and because of the glass exterior.
Great series Sal! Brought back lots of memories of many visits to Buffalo and NF! Minor correction you were in Niagara Falls, Ontario not Toronto,Ontario. 🇨🇦
Thanks Janet! Sorry for the confusion, that’s totally on me. I added that bit at the last minute and still need to get my feet wet with Canadian ExLogs!!
That place looked a lot better in 2019 then it did when I went there in 2013. It looked run down and almost like it was abandoned. I'm glad they renovated that place a bit since.
That’s funny because the entirety of the city is way worse than it was when I moved away at 21. Where else would they take out stop lights because you’ll get robbed? NF, NY is where. I saw the city from the 90s until 2015. It’s not better. They added walkways to the natural park landscape and the whole city has more crime both violent and property, than it’s had my entire time growing up.
So I had to double check this, but this, THIS is that building that had the giant synthesizer light show on one side of the building. I wasn’t even sure the building was still there, but during the Festival of Lights the first thing I’d eagerly look for when we parked at the RCM parking garage was that light show…it was so cool. I loved the synced lights to Christmas music…though I think the very last song I heard played to those dancing lights was Phil Collins ‘Who said I would’?…now that was wild. I’m glad the building is still there, I had no idea it was the Oxy chemical building at that time…just wild, thank you for doing a video on this place!
Man I came across this page when I searched my local abandoned mall centry lll mall!! I watched all videos on mall but have to say I love the way Sal does his videos does his research and just the way he Narrates the videos!! Off all the dead mall guys this is the one I subbed 2 and will support!! I'm so addicted to these videos!! Great job keep it up
Been following your superlative series on Buffalo/Niagara Falls, an area often overlooked which possesses a fascinating history that you’ve so diligently chronicled. The Oxy Tower is a classic case study in an attempt to affect a positive perception by a corporate player seeking to redeem its formidable sins. Outstanding content Sal, and keep up the good work!
I love to see how this channel has grown since i joined 🙏 When someone mention niagara falls, i cant help but smile when i recall the movie canadian bacon with John Candy 😅
I so love this Niagara series! Your research is always so well done. I so remember Maple Leaf Village and Rainbow Center. Thank you for all your hard work Sal!!!!!!
Great video Sal, and at a perfect time we are going to Niagra Falls in 2 weeks . I will make sure we visit the tower and see if any renovations are completed.
Watched the end consisting of footage from 2014 of your trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario. What had me confused was descriptions of this being "Toronto" and even a statement of this during your vlog. Toronto is a two hour drive away. None of your footage was of Toronto so why the descriptor of this being "Niagara Falls" in Toronto, Ontario?
My three cousins and aunt and uncle lived on 101st street smack in the middle of love canal. You could see the high school from their front window. All three of my cousins were born with birth defects. Two died before age 20. Aunt and uncle both died of cancer. My dad survived cancer which I always figured he got by helping his brother build the house. They had a race car track in the basement which was cement block and they seeped a black ooze that my dad and uncle had to dig drain trenches and put in a sump pump. Luckily I spent very little time there. Only the one cousin still alive. We're all old now but wow. People just have no idea how much poison and ruin we've put on this planet. This one hits home. Thanks for the memories. All the videos around buffalo and niagara are awesome. BTW, Fuck hooker. They never compensated anyone for the crimes they committed.
I'm so sorry to hear about all your family's sufferings and tragedies! My cousins lived in the same area and when we were kids we'd play a silly game called "touch the witch". In their basement there was a crack in the wall that looked like the outline of a witch and dark green funk would ooze out of it. We'd take turns touching it and running away. If we only knew!!
Its messed up because there are tens of thousands of polluted sites like this and many not even identified yet. If we care at all about our future generations we need to sue the responsible companies to remediate their messes and enforce stronger environmental protections to prevent further toxic dumping.
God Bless you and your family what is wrong with new yorks corruption placing killer chemucals into 60 gallen barrels and burying them 8n residential areas near main water channels killing so many causing untold harm and that area has alot of this so close to Canada
Thanks, loved the old adds, it was interesting to see the convention center, I did not know they changed it to a casino....haven't been back there in 27 years.....went to a few concerts at the old convention center.
I was taken to the Oxy tower by family in 2012 when they walked me back to the border (I'm from Toronto) after visiting them in Buffalo. I remember the entire I was there, I was creeped TF out. The air was heavy, I felt like everything was really closed in and the layout of the shops and "food court" was weird and completely forced. Did you enjoy the journey behind the falls? I'm doing that in September with my sister and best friend, I'm excited!
My ex grandfather in law was the Manger of transportation for hooked Chem, the last man in the plant to sign off on those "100 year drums". He was a godamn monster of a human and he knew EXACTLY what he had done. Died an angry power drunk jerk.
My cousins and aunt and uncle lived on 101st street. Dead center live canal. Three born with birth defects. Two dead by the time they were 20 l. Aunt and uncle both died of cancer. The ooze used to seep in between the cement block basement. The ooze from your grandfather's drums. Six degrees of separation so they say.
Aquafalls, Bass pro, the signature span. A killer lineup of announced but never developed WNY projects. The Summit Park mall is just a short drive to Wheatfield from NF. That mall had been dead but is slowing getting some life after a rebrand to the Niagara International Sports & Entertainment center. One of my favorite treats is seeing the old Toys R Us entrance sign at the old external Toys R Us store that was there
OK, I grew up in Niagara Falls and never moved back after grad school. The whole city is a giant MESS. The Niagara Gazette once liked NF NY vs. NF ONT like going from San Diego to Tijuana MEX, except NF NY is the Tijuana. All the land down near the Falls is been in the hands of developers who have chosen to do nothing. As kids we used to play behind Hooker--the trains mostly, putting stuff on the tracks to see what would happen. I. think Hooker Docks is something you can still visit.
Good stuff, Sal! I missed the premiere because I was watching the local soccer team, but it was a kick seeing the falls, again. I was last there in the summer of 1996.
I worked in the building for Small Business Administration! Later in years a moved on and met a girl who was told love canel was cleaned up and bought a house there I was applauded!!! They didn't clean that place up I wouldn't go near it with a 100 foot pole!!! So very sad how these companies get away with this demonic activity!
Agreed! And it's not limited to that very small area they have fenced in with no signs. They never talked about the residual effect, and that surrounding zip codes all have high rates of bladder and kidney cancers. They needed to clear miles around that place not yards. FFS
Hi Sal! Have you read up on when they stopped the water on the American side to study the rocks and the effects the water was having? It's pretty interesting and I think you would enjoy it!
I used to go to the canadian side of Maple Leaf Village. It was a great place for fun with my family. I even bungee jumped there. They had just about everything there.
@Sal - You don’t accept any of the counter arguments to the traditional ‘it’s all Oxidental Chemical’s fault’ narrative? That the company tried very hard, insisted actually on making sure the government officials who had the brilliant idea to put a school on the Love Canal land knew fully well that it was a toxic waste dump and that they opposed using it for a school site? That the school district was threatening to use eminent domain to get the land if Occidental wouldn’t voluntarily transfer it to them? That the love canal dump was by most accounts completely up to and maybe exceeded the admittedly very minimal environmental standards of the day? To this day there are said to be school board members from that time who completely refuse to answer any questions about their role in the disaster. Lastly, the construction of the school itself pierced the lining in the dump, greatly exasperating the spread of the waste into the ground water. I don’t discount that dumping a bunch of random chemicals in a very minimally engineered hole in the ground was foolish and by any modern interpretation immoral but if that land had been left as an undeveloped waste dump instead of forcibly selected by an inept local government for a housing development and a new school it probably would have been a relatively routine waste site that could have been remediated before so many people got sick and died.
They should’ve cleaned up the land before quitclaiming the deed over to a school board. Instead, they covered their own asses by installing a clause in the deed that protected themselves from any lawsuits stemming from the waste. Maybe they’re not the only one to blame, but they’re the worst offender in the deal.
@@sal I guess one can make the case that Hooker should have absolutely positively found a way to resist the eminent domain claim. But, in general, you don’t haul all the trash out at the end of the dumps life. You cap it, put a fence around it and leave it alone for many years before maybe someday doing something else with the land. Not sure why this dump would be different. Fresh Kills on Staten Island might have park land on it now but there are still millions or billions of pounds of waste under that park. Hooker probably would have been required to remediate the dump later. Once a school and a bunch of houses were built on it and that construction itself, along with expressway construction, none of which were done by or at the request of the company, had compromised the clay containment which was the basic\s for the dumps suitability it seems hard to lay the problem at the feet of the company that was holding the land and seemed not at all eager to pass the land off to anybody else.
@@sal The city and school board should have never built homes and a school on land they KNEW was a toxic waste dump. I don't think you understand just how corrupt the city was back then.
I didn’t get any pics but actually visited here the other day. The gentleman at the made in America store said they were planning an arcade for the second floor. Also, I think one of the empty rooms you were near at gift shop is now a restaurant/ sports bar type place where you can also use a state of the art golf simulator or something. Found on the One Niagara Building site: “Visit The Links Golf & Tap, located on the second floor, to watch the game and grab a drink! While you're there take a swing on the state-of-the-art Trackman golf simulators! Also, be sure to check out the exciting new arcade and VR experience opening this Summer 2022!” Glad to see it looking better, when I last visited it didn’t seem too healthy!
I took my family for the first time to Niagara falls New York right as the restrictions were lifted as far as being able to eat in a restaurant etc etc for New York of course, we are from Chardon, Ohio.I never went to Niagara falls New York because I always decided to travel into Canada for it was 10 times cooler and a lot more things to do, however with COVID-19 and Canada's restrictions we chose to stay in the Buffalo . But with that in mind comes to this store, I can't believe after seeing this video and learning the back history of it why I would even want to go inside of it let alone by merchandise in it. 😞 Kind of breaks my heart in a way now. My daughter says she wants to go back to Niagara falls New York she's 5 years old particularly this building. I'll be sure to go to Canada Niagara falls next time and there after. I really didn't feel like there was enough to do around the city besides the casino and everything around it was trashy/ rundown. Great video though I would have never ever realized or put two and two together on this one. You want to check out some great dead malls come to Ohio there's a whole shit ton of them that are eerie as hell!!!
That was great, I read up about the Love Canal thing and that was crazy. That building was ugly and cheap as hell, looks incredibly dated for 1983, like about 1961. The Niagara falls precinct just looks tacky and touristy. Amazed it's still so summery for late September, expecting it it to be already autumnal by that stage in the chill north of the USA. Imagine a month later its almost bare and 2 months later all snowey and horrible.
Once you leave the area around the falls and the park, Niagara Falls is a washout. Boarded up storefronts, abandoned residential buildings. It's awful. Maybe it was domed after Love Canal. But more than that the interest in the falls as a tourist destination is a thing of the past.
@@sal no problem! Come up to Ottawa sometime, I live on a street that has 2 dead malls less than a mile from eachother! Westgate shopping center (Ottawas first inclosed mall) and Carlingwood mall. Both are attempting major revitalization in two different ways, great exlog fodder!
I’ve lived in niagara falls my whole life, I park at the Oxytower to cross the border on foot to party, I never knew it was owned by hooker chemical company. i loved this video and it’s honestly amazing to see my hometown in a youtube video format
1. I did not know that building was tied to Love Canal 2. My exes mother worked for the Made in America store when it started up 10 years ago. I think the aspiration was for more then what it amounted too. But the "100% Made In America" criteria made it too difficult to do that. 3. The Falls did really well during the height of the pandemic. Being an outdoor thing probably drew a lot of northeasterners who otherwise would fly across the country or to Europe for their summer vacation
It really wasn't. It was the headquarters of Hooker Chemical. Hooker did everything legally. The City and Board of Education are at fault for the Love Canal. Those who sued were after money.
Hooker sold land to the school board that they knowingly dumped toxic chemicals on, and included a clause in the deed that they could never be sued because of any events stemming from their chemicals. So yeah, it was Hooker.
Love canal disaster is government’s fault, not Hooker. The city knew it was a chemical dump, but despite the company’s warnings, the city built a school right on top of the landfill. At the time that Hooker was dumping chemicals, it was a legal, known and Acceptable method of disposal.
Fun fact: That Falun Dafa pamplet that was handed to y'all is connected to Shen Yun (dance company). It is a very interesting rabbit hole filled with political and religious persecutions plus cultish behaviors.
I lived not too far away for several years. I've been to Niagara Falls a few times. And the way I came in, I had to drive past the canal area. Still fenced up, looking abandoned. I never went in that building. I thought it looked sketchy and had cheesy touriisr stuff in it. The whole town is a s* hole as well as the surrounding area. I had no desire to go there often. I moved in 2015. To an area where there are no superfund sites.
The city of Niagara Falls ny took the hooker property in LaSalle that was a dump area for hooker/oxy for a dollar to build houses on so the city could have a bigger tax base .Local builders want the area so that they could build more homes. The ground water in the love canal area used to flow into the Niagara little river . After the state built the LaSalle express way (that went no where) the water leaching from the love canal could not move to the river so it backed up and pushed to the surface and into local residents basements. This caused the majority of the cancers and health issues in the area
Appears the expressway may have been intended to go to Tonawanda, there's kind of a path visible for it in that direction right up to the city limits. Not shocked it's as much the state's fault this happened.
@@CR7659 the path your talking about was the original twin railroad lines we used to call the “bee line” or the “highspeed”. It used to go thru tnt and beyond.
@@davidkanipe1812 It was pretty clearly graded for the divided highway to continue east past it's current end. Not very far but southeast to where it would have crossed the next road.
I visited Niagara Falls a few years ago, and this is by far the most annoying building I've ever encountered. When I was there they had old pop music constantly blaring from outside loudspeakers, loud enough to be heard blocks away. Despite the external signage the only thing "Made in America" about this building is the building itself, and it is in no way a "Tourist Center". The glass exterior that you see IS NOT the building, it's a greenhouse built around the building to contain it. The building itself inside the greenhouse has windows broken out and other damage. As you can see from Sal's video the only thing really in there is a flea market - which extended to the perimeter of the building when I was there. This building is a detriment to Niagara Falls. It should be torn down, crushed into bits and then hauled off to that Yucca Mountain underground nuclear waste site to be encased in concrete.
I've never been in there. Is it open to the public. Btw I was just in the falls yesterday. Lol. I live in Buffalo. I'm debating on getting the 💉 so I can go to Canada
The HQ seems to have been built as the city also gave them tons of incentives to do so as Hooker, even after their name change, provided tons of jobs locally. They got rid of a business that was sitting right where this very building is in a forced imminent domain also.
Ace laughed at me in this video when I predicted that I'd have 40,000 subs by the time it premiered. Subscribe so I can say that his chuckle got me to a billion subs. Love you all.
Watch your mouth.
Let me be
Another place instead of letting the scrap people take over but the homeless people have it
@@salis this place still abandoned and explorable ?
@@thebeaz1😊😊😊😊😊
I was there today actually most floors were locked we got on the 9th, 8th and 5th floors and man they're in rough shape.
You're absolutely correct @16:00 . My cousins that lived directly on top of the hot zone in Love Canal, received $15,000. They were actually in the process of a major renovation (adding a second floor) to their home when they were evacuated. I remember when I was a kid, thinking, "wow! $15,000 is a lot!" without taking into consideration that this was supposed to make up for a family of 5, their medical issues, house, and the cost of moving. $500,000 would have been more acceptable but no amount of money could make up for the plethora of birth defects and subsequent health issues.
The City of Niagara Falls is largely to blame for the Love Canal disaster. Hooker Chemical warned the city not to touch that area and not build anything. Niagara Falls being a very corrupt city that was greedy totally ignored the warnings and developed that area anyways.
It's amazing how pervasive the narrative that the disaster was simply caused by greedy company. Thanks for posting the truth. My sister showed me the video. Even she didn't know the full story despite growing up only an hour from here.
They not only warned them, it was written specifically into the sale that land was not to be built on. It was pressure to build a new school and a subdivision around it. My cousins and aunt/uncle lived in love canal on 101st. Cancer and birth defects. Died young. I played on a racetrack in their basement that oozed black goo. But Hooker never should have sold it in the first place. I believe it was a $1 transaction.
Yes you are correct, I lived near there in the 70s and knew folks that lived on Love canal. The school board purchased the property and was warned to never build on it. @@bb58425a
Indeed Hooker Chemical did not want to sell the land and even dug pits to show city and school officials that the land contained barrels of toxic waste and was not suitable to build on. The City of Niagara Falls continued to persist and threatened to use eminent domain to seize the land. So Hooker Chemical finally relented and sold the land for $1 with an attached seventeen-line caveat stating the land contained chemical waste products (the deed can readily be found online). Then the City of Niagara Falls and Niagara Falls School Board proceeded to develop the land KNOWING THAT TOXIC CHEMICALS WERE BURIED ON THE LAND without telling any of the future home buyers. There was also a construction of a school on 99th Street. During the school building process the construction workers discovered two dump sites filled with 55-US-gallon (210 L; 46 imp gal) drums containing chemical wastes. The architect also noted it would be "poor policy" to build in that area since it was not known what wastes were present in the ground. Despite these additional warnings and notices the city again pressed on with construction anyway. Then the installation of sewer, water, and gas lines substantially breached the chemical containment structures (which included a clay cover and liner) in a number of ways, allowing the previously contained toxic chemicals to seep out and flood into people's homes and school. This is not tin foil hat stuff but well documented history that often gets buried (no pun intended) in order to protect the city and school board's reputation and cover up the fact that the City and School Board of Niagara Falls knowingly engaged in morally egregious and reprehensible behavior.
@@walden420 Well said. This info gets buried every time.
I'm shocked you don't have more subs. The amount of background research you do for your videos is impressive. You don't only capture these old structures on video but also tell their stories.
At this point, I’ve convinced myself that it’s a marathon, not a sprint… I’ll keep up the same work though, thanks for the kind words Noah!
If you want some 30-something year old insider info about this place.. my father worked in OxyTower for a time in the mid 1980s. The building, when Oxy took over, housed OxyChem's Engineering department. It was closed down and sold because OxyChem moved their Engineering division to Texas. They have far more plants and operations there, and they were consolidating division headquarters in Dallas (Maybe Houston at that time. I was really young so I only kind of recall when Dad told me). Most people who worked in that building were not fans of it.. apparently it was too hot in the summer and freezing in the winter. It was called "The Ice Cube", cause it was so cold in the winter and because of the glass exterior.
More of this content please. This was mixed so well. I enjoyed the transitions and music
Great series Sal! Brought back lots of memories of many visits to Buffalo and NF! Minor correction you were in Niagara Falls, Ontario not Toronto,Ontario. 🇨🇦
Thanks Janet! Sorry for the confusion, that’s totally on me. I added that bit at the last minute and still need to get my feet wet with Canadian ExLogs!!
Is no one else concerned about all the deep freezers with locks on them?
I bet you 100 bucks, Jimmy Hoffa is in that building somewhere
~lol~~Hey, ya never know~~Absolutely nothing surprises me anymore~~
That place looked a lot better in 2019 then it did when I went there in 2013. It looked run down and almost like it was abandoned. I'm glad they renovated that place a bit since.
That’s funny because the entirety of the city is way worse than it was when I moved away at 21. Where else would they take out stop lights because you’ll get robbed? NF, NY is where. I saw the city from the 90s until 2015. It’s not better. They added walkways to the natural park landscape and the whole city has more crime both violent and property, than it’s had my entire time growing up.
So I had to double check this, but this, THIS is that building that had the giant synthesizer light show on one side of the building. I wasn’t even sure the building was still there, but during the Festival of Lights the first thing I’d eagerly look for when we parked at the RCM parking garage was that light show…it was so cool. I loved the synced lights to Christmas music…though I think the very last song I heard played to those dancing lights was Phil Collins ‘Who said I would’?…now that was wild. I’m glad the building is still there, I had no idea it was the Oxy chemical building at that time…just wild, thank you for doing a video on this place!
Haven't thought of festival of lights in a long time
Man I came across this page when I searched my local abandoned mall centry lll mall!! I watched all videos on mall but have to say I love the way Sal does his videos does his research and just the way he Narrates the videos!! Off all the dead mall guys this is the one I subbed 2 and will support!! I'm so addicted to these videos!! Great job keep it up
You rock, thanks for the support!!
Been following your superlative series on Buffalo/Niagara Falls, an area often overlooked which possesses a fascinating history that you’ve so diligently chronicled. The Oxy Tower is a classic case study in an attempt to affect a positive perception by a corporate player seeking to redeem its formidable sins. Outstanding content Sal, and keep up the good work!
I love to see how this channel has grown since i joined 🙏
When someone mention niagara falls, i cant help but smile when i recall the movie canadian bacon with John Candy 😅
Welcome back Sal! Thanks for another exciting adventure!!!
Thanks for watching!!
I so love this Niagara series! Your research is always so well done. I so remember Maple Leaf Village and Rainbow Center. Thank you for all your hard work Sal!!!!!!
Hey thanks for watching, Jody!
Losing the Wintergarden was a tragedy.
52.1k subs later you still got that soothing narration that I love so much....😁
The first premiere I've been able to attend since getting a job, and it was amazing. Thanks for another amazing episode!
Great video Sal, and at a perfect time we are going to Niagra Falls in 2 weeks . I will make sure we visit the tower and see if any renovations are completed.
Watched the end consisting of footage from 2014 of your trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario. What had me confused was descriptions of this being "Toronto" and even a statement of this during your vlog. Toronto is a two hour drive away. None of your footage was of Toronto so why the descriptor of this being "Niagara Falls" in Toronto, Ontario?
My three cousins and aunt and uncle lived on 101st street smack in the middle of love canal. You could see the high school from their front window. All three of my cousins were born with birth defects. Two died before age 20. Aunt and uncle both died of cancer. My dad survived cancer which I always figured he got by helping his brother build the house. They had a race car track in the basement which was cement block and they seeped a black ooze that my dad and uncle had to dig drain trenches and put in a sump pump. Luckily I spent very little time there. Only the one cousin still alive. We're all old now but wow. People just have no idea how much poison and ruin we've put on this planet. This one hits home. Thanks for the memories. All the videos around buffalo and niagara are awesome. BTW, Fuck hooker. They never compensated anyone for the crimes they committed.
I'm so sorry to hear about all your family's sufferings and tragedies! My cousins lived in the same area and when we were kids we'd play a silly game called "touch the witch". In their basement there was a crack in the wall that looked like the outline of a witch and dark green funk would ooze out of it. We'd take turns touching it and running away. If we only knew!!
Its messed up because there are tens of thousands of polluted sites like this and many not even identified yet. If we care at all about our future generations we need to sue the responsible companies to remediate their messes and enforce stronger environmental protections to prevent further toxic dumping.
God Bless you and your family what is wrong with new yorks corruption placing killer chemucals into 60 gallen barrels and burying them 8n residential areas near main water channels killing so many causing untold harm and that area has alot of this so close to Canada
Thanks, loved the old adds, it was interesting to see the convention center, I did not know they changed it to a casino....haven't been back there in 27 years.....went to a few concerts at the old convention center.
Hey, I caught this release way late, but as always, I love your editing and historical research. Excellent work!
I went to Niagara Falls NY once. First time I'd been in a city where I felt like I needed eyes in the back of my head.
It is a very rough and dangerous little city.
I was taken to the Oxy tower by family in 2012 when they walked me back to the border (I'm from Toronto) after visiting them in Buffalo. I remember the entire I was there, I was creeped TF out. The air was heavy, I felt like everything was really closed in and the layout of the shops and "food court" was weird and completely forced.
Did you enjoy the journey behind the falls? I'm doing that in September with my sister and best friend, I'm excited!
I just got back from a trip to NF!!! Love seeing what's popping up in my feed. Can't wait to watch!
My ex grandfather in law was the Manger of transportation for hooked Chem, the last man in the plant to sign off on those "100 year drums". He was a godamn monster of a human and he knew EXACTLY what he had done. Died an angry power drunk jerk.
My cousins and aunt and uncle lived on 101st street. Dead center live canal. Three born with birth defects. Two dead by the time they were 20 l. Aunt and uncle both died of cancer. The ooze used to seep in between the cement block basement. The ooze from your grandfather's drums. Six degrees of separation so they say.
Aquafalls, Bass pro, the signature span. A killer lineup of announced but never developed WNY projects. The Summit Park mall is just a short drive to Wheatfield from NF. That mall had been dead but is slowing getting some life after a rebrand to the Niagara International Sports & Entertainment center. One of my favorite treats is seeing the old Toys R Us entrance sign at the old external Toys R Us store that was there
That was many yrs ago,a hotel. My family took me there in 1968..I remember it all ty 4this .lovely memories be safe
I worked in this building in 2009 briefly. There was a gift shop on the top floor. But I hated taking the elevators they were so rickety!
Evidently there was never any preventive maintenance done on that office tower.
OK, I grew up in Niagara Falls and never moved back after grad school. The whole city is a giant MESS. The Niagara Gazette once liked NF NY vs. NF ONT like going from San Diego to Tijuana MEX, except NF NY is the Tijuana. All the land down near the Falls is been in the hands of developers who have chosen to do nothing. As kids we used to play behind Hooker--the trains mostly, putting stuff on the tracks to see what would happen. I. think Hooker Docks is something you can still visit.
Good stuff, Sal! I missed the premiere because I was watching the local soccer team, but it was a kick seeing the falls, again. I was last there in the summer of 1996.
When I was a kid I think this tower lit up around Christmas time in the 80s and played Axel F it was amazing!
After the credits... "Omg is this what I think it is?! YES! CAVE OF THE WINDS!!!" you just made my 8 yo self so happy
Thanks for sticking around :)
I grew up in Niagara Falls, the Oxy building was absolutely beautiful, when it was built. Sad to see how it looks now.
Good to see some more of your fine work. Thanks!
Being from downstate, going upstate to Niagara falls with my daughter to see them was fun. The maid of the mist was a great time.
Awesome video Sal. Ace Adventures has alot of great stuff on West Virginia right where my wife's from. thxs
I’ve been to the falls when I was like 15/16. Watching your episode now
I worked in the building for Small Business Administration! Later in years a moved on and met a girl who was told love canel was cleaned up and bought a house there I was applauded!!! They didn't clean that place up I wouldn't go near it with a 100 foot pole!!! So very sad how these companies get away with this demonic activity!
Agreed! And it's not limited to that very small area they have fenced in with no signs. They never talked about the residual effect, and that surrounding zip codes all have high rates of bladder and kidney cancers. They needed to clear miles around that place not yards. FFS
16:56 - May 2002, I walked over this Rainbow Bridge to Ontario and back to New York. :) I got my passport book stamped by 'Customs' too.
Nice video...been ar Niagra back in 1981, it looks so different. Nice 2014 video ad on after the credits too!
Hi Sal! Have you read up on when they stopped the water on the American side to study the rocks and the effects the water was having? It's pretty interesting and I think you would enjoy it!
I did! That was the rabbit hole I dug into so I could find out how long the falls on either side would remain active. Fascinating stuff!
I live in Niagara falls and have never been in this building so to see it and learn about it rn is crazy😱
Loved this trip. Right in my own backyard. You gotta do the zio lines and maid of the mist.
Next time I’m up there for sure!
What a fun video! I really want to visit this area one day.
I used to go to the canadian side of Maple Leaf Village. It was a great place for fun with my family. I even bungee jumped there. They had just about everything there.
You should visit San Jancinto mall again it is now abounded fully
Great, video I never heard of this terrible accident.
You and ace seem to work well together. I like watching the two of you adventure!!
He’s my boy. We make a good team!
@Sal - You don’t accept any of the counter arguments to the traditional ‘it’s all Oxidental Chemical’s fault’ narrative? That the company tried very hard, insisted actually on making sure the government officials who had the brilliant idea to put a school on the Love Canal land knew fully well that it was a toxic waste dump and that they opposed using it for a school site? That the school district was threatening to use eminent domain to get the land if Occidental wouldn’t voluntarily transfer it to them? That the love canal dump was by most accounts completely up to and maybe exceeded the admittedly very minimal environmental standards of the day? To this day there are said to be school board members from that time who completely refuse to answer any questions about their role in the disaster. Lastly, the construction of the school itself pierced the lining in the dump, greatly exasperating the spread of the waste into the ground water.
I don’t discount that dumping a bunch of random chemicals in a very minimally engineered hole in the ground was foolish and by any modern interpretation immoral but if that land had been left as an undeveloped waste dump instead of forcibly selected by an inept local government for a housing development and a new school it probably would have been a relatively routine waste site that could have been remediated before so many people got sick and died.
They should’ve cleaned up the land before quitclaiming the deed over to a school board. Instead, they covered their own asses by installing a clause in the deed that protected themselves from any lawsuits stemming from the waste.
Maybe they’re not the only one to blame, but they’re the worst offender in the deal.
@@sal I guess one can make the case that Hooker should have absolutely positively found a way to resist the eminent domain claim. But, in general, you don’t haul all the trash out at the end of the dumps life. You cap it, put a fence around it and leave it alone for many years before maybe someday doing something else with the land. Not sure why this dump would be different. Fresh Kills on Staten Island might have park land on it now but there are still millions or billions of pounds of waste under that park. Hooker probably would have been required to remediate the dump later. Once a school and a bunch of houses were built on it and that construction itself, along with expressway construction, none of which were done by or at the request of the company, had compromised the clay containment which was the basic\s for the dumps suitability it seems hard to lay the problem at the feet of the company that was holding the land and seemed not at all eager to pass the land off to anybody else.
@@sal The city and school board should have never built homes and a school on land they KNEW was a toxic waste dump. I don't think you understand just how corrupt the city was back then.
WRONG!
I didn’t get any pics but actually visited here the other day. The gentleman at the made in America store said they were planning an arcade for the second floor.
Also, I think one of the empty rooms you were near at gift shop is now a restaurant/ sports bar type place where you can also use a state of the art golf simulator or something.
Found on the One Niagara Building site:
“Visit The Links Golf & Tap, located on the second floor, to watch the game and grab a drink! While you're there take a swing on the state-of-the-art Trackman golf simulators! Also, be sure to check out the exciting new arcade and VR experience opening this Summer 2022!”
Glad to see it looking better, when I last visited it didn’t seem too healthy!
I've parked in that lot several times. Never knew that building was abandoned on top!!
I remember Maple Leaf Village, We stayed at the Village Inn which is still there but renamed to The Skyline Hotel & Water Park.
Amazing stuff thanks for making it
Amazing views and the connection to Love Canal
I been to the falls on the Canadian side of the falls and it was cool looking and it was fun that was a few years ago before Covid hit
This building is so weird and I've gotten lost in it twice. Thanks for covering this place.
I just want to add it is even emptier since Covid hit and is in even worse shape now in '22
It is in great shape now, you should come check it out. Virtual reality arcade, golf simulators, outdoor bar.
Phenomenal job from two of my favorites!!
Hey thanks for watching!!
@@sal wouldn't miss you for the world brother!
Ace called it with the 2022 airing date.
I took my family for the first time to Niagara falls New York right as the restrictions were lifted as far as being able to eat in a restaurant etc etc for New York of course, we are from Chardon, Ohio.I never went to Niagara falls New York because I always decided to travel into Canada for it was 10 times cooler and a lot more things to do, however with COVID-19 and Canada's restrictions we chose to stay in the Buffalo . But with that in mind comes to this store, I can't believe after seeing this video and learning the back history of it why I would even want to go inside of it let alone by merchandise in it. 😞 Kind of breaks my heart in a way now. My daughter says she wants to go back to Niagara falls New York she's 5 years old particularly this building. I'll be sure to go to Canada Niagara falls next time and there after. I really didn't feel like there was enough to do around the city besides the casino and everything around it was trashy/ rundown. Great video though I would have never ever realized or put two and two together on this one. You want to check out some great dead malls come to Ohio there's a whole shit ton of them that are eerie as hell!!!
A great video with something for everyone!
Miss that mall, and winter gardens ice rink but there's nomore Christmas lights and pine Ave is gone.
Great video. "Slight underestimate" of 40k subs when this premiered since you're over 52k!
Cool clip Sal😃👍
People here call it the flash cube because it looks like the flash cube on old cameras
As for restaurants in Niagara Falls that are Canadian are The Keg, Montana's, The Works, and Kelsey's/
I went to that place last summer, always wondered what was on those upper floors...
I was a Maintenance man in that building when it opened for about a year
That was great, I read up about the Love Canal thing and that was crazy. That building was ugly and cheap as hell, looks incredibly dated for 1983, like about 1961. The Niagara falls precinct just looks tacky and touristy. Amazed it's still so summery for late September, expecting it it to be already autumnal by that stage in the chill north of the USA. Imagine a month later its almost bare and 2 months later all snowey and horrible.
to each it's own but it's just as beautiful in the Fall/Winter
All that water and the southwest is so dry. But most people would rather live in the southwest US. Some kind of a disconnect here somewhere.
Great Video of The Falls on The U.S. / Canada Border
I went on Maid Of The Mist back in 2010!
Once you leave the area around the falls and the park, Niagara Falls is a washout. Boarded up storefronts, abandoned residential buildings. It's awful. Maybe it was domed after Love Canal. But more than that the interest in the falls as a tourist destination is a thing of the past.
Niagara Falls Ontario is a separate city from Toronto Ontario, they are at least a hours drive from eachother.
Yep, my mistake! Sorry about that
@@sal no problem! Come up to Ottawa sometime, I live on a street that has 2 dead malls less than a mile from eachother! Westgate shopping center (Ottawas first inclosed mall) and Carlingwood mall. Both are attempting major revitalization in two different ways, great exlog fodder!
I’ve lived in niagara falls my whole life, I park at the Oxytower to cross the border on foot to party, I never knew it was owned by hooker chemical company. i loved this video and it’s honestly amazing to see my hometown in a youtube video format
Like you dead mall content and LOVE this content format too!
Hey thank you! Much more on the way!
Nice video 📹
With the word abscond, I think you need to add a preposition. "We absconded from a store . . ."
1. I did not know that building was tied to Love Canal
2. My exes mother worked for the Made in America store when it started up 10 years ago. I think the aspiration was for more then what it amounted too. But the "100% Made In America" criteria made it too difficult to do that.
3. The Falls did really well during the height of the pandemic. Being an outdoor thing probably drew a lot of northeasterners who otherwise would fly across the country or to Europe for their summer vacation
It really wasn't. It was the headquarters of Hooker Chemical. Hooker did everything legally. The City and Board of Education are at fault for the Love Canal. Those who sued were after money.
Hooker sold land to the school board that they knowingly dumped toxic chemicals on, and included a clause in the deed that they could never be sued because of any events stemming from their chemicals. So yeah, it was Hooker.
I went through Seneca Casino before! Nice place, but can you still smoke while gambling?
Not since Covid
I live in NF, we always called the oxy bldg the flash cube. But i dont go downtown these days….way to many shootings and gang violence.
Love canal disaster is government’s fault, not Hooker. The city knew it was a chemical dump, but despite the company’s warnings, the city built a school right on top of the landfill. At the time that Hooker was dumping chemicals, it was a legal, known and
Acceptable method of disposal.
That pizza place in there is fire
I think we should just start a channel where we do sketchy shit 🫠
I’m in.
I think if you like something completely different, this is it😎
Currently new residents of love canal are being poisoned as no one warned them of its history 😢
Fun fact: That Falun Dafa pamplet that was handed to y'all is connected to Shen Yun (dance company). It is a very interesting rabbit hole filled with political and religious persecutions plus cultish behaviors.
I lived not too far away for several years. I've been to Niagara Falls a few times. And the way I came in, I had to drive past the canal area. Still fenced up, looking abandoned. I never went in that building. I thought it looked sketchy and had cheesy touriisr stuff in it.
The whole town is a s* hole as well as the surrounding area. I had no desire to go there often. I moved in 2015. To an area where there are no superfund sites.
is this still abandoned? i know it’s probably not just wondering
hi im late but i love this video
Those white chairs were in the mall!
Correction - those are not the New York Falls - they are the American Falls.
The city of Niagara Falls ny took the hooker property in LaSalle that was a dump area for hooker/oxy for a dollar to build houses on so the city could have a bigger tax base .Local builders want the area so that they could build more homes. The ground water in the love canal area used to flow into the Niagara little river . After the state built the LaSalle express way (that went no where) the water leaching from the love canal could not move to the river so it backed up and pushed to the surface and into local residents basements. This caused the majority of the cancers and health issues in the area
Appears the expressway may have been intended to go to Tonawanda, there's kind of a path visible for it in that direction right up to the city limits.
Not shocked it's as much the state's fault this happened.
@@CR7659 the path your talking about was the original twin railroad lines we used to call the “bee line” or the “highspeed”. It used to go thru tnt and beyond.
@@davidkanipe1812 It was pretty clearly graded for the divided highway to continue east past it's current end. Not very far but southeast to where it would have crossed the next road.
I visited Niagara Falls a few years ago, and this is by far the most annoying building I've ever encountered. When I was there they had old pop music constantly blaring from outside loudspeakers, loud enough to be heard blocks away. Despite the external signage the only thing "Made in America" about this building is the building itself, and it is in no way a "Tourist Center". The glass exterior that you see IS NOT the building, it's a greenhouse built around the building to contain it. The building itself inside the greenhouse has windows broken out and other damage. As you can see from Sal's video the only thing really in there is a flea market - which extended to the perimeter of the building when I was there.
This building is a detriment to Niagara Falls. It should be torn down, crushed into bits and then hauled off to that Yucca Mountain underground nuclear waste site to be encased in concrete.
hmmm, you do know about the waste buried near grand island from the manhattan project ?
No, that’s near Lewiston.
@@roydrink that's not what i heard
@@delphidae6610 It's probably both.
I've never been in there. Is it open to the public. Btw I was just in the falls yesterday. Lol. I live in Buffalo. I'm debating on getting the 💉 so I can go to Canada
niagara falls is a very sketchy area in general, if you need to visit the falls you are much safer going to the Canadian side
Cannon Design was based in Grand Island NY not in New York City. They were never based in NYC.
The HQ seems to have been built as the city also gave them tons of incentives to do so as Hooker, even after their name change, provided tons of jobs locally. They got rid of a business that was sitting right where this very building is in a forced imminent domain also.