Toronto Power House
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The Toronto Power House is the main building of the former Toronto Power Company (later operated by Ontario Hydro), located just north of the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.
The plant is built on top of a deep wheel pit, with turbines at the bottom of the pit, turning generators at the top by means of long vertical shafts. The water from the turbines runs out through a brick lined tailrace which eventually comes out at the base of the falls.
The plant was closed down by Ontario Hydro in 1973 and mothballed. In recent years, it has been a favorite site for urban exploration, and many urban explorers view making the trip to the tailrace (commonly known as 'Confluence') as one of the 'holy grails' of urban exploration. This is due to the extreme difficulty of reaching the tailrace, and the awe-inspiring sight and sound of the falls from behind.
Ownership of the Power House recently passed to the Niagara Parks Commission, who are carrying out work on the building. It is anticipated that access to the wheelpit and tailrace will soon be permanently blocked as a result.
External Links
- Vanishing Point History of the station and contemporary photographs of its interior.
- Vanishing Point Written account and photographs of urban exploration of the Toronto Power Company station tailrace.
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