Boulevard Day

White and red text on a blue background.

In 1908, the Automobile Club of Buffalo hosted an automobile show at the Convention Hall in Buffalo, NY, from March 9th-14th. Thursday, March 12th was dubbed “Boulevard Day” as any proceeds raised were given to the fund for a boulevard connecting Buffalo, Tonawanda, and Niagara Falls. Admission was 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children for most of the auto show, however, it was fixed at $1 for Boulevard Day, which brought in around $800 in funds for Niagara Falls Boulevard.

In 1908, there was no safe road for bikes, horses or carriages, and automobiles between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, though one could go by rail or by trolley. The Automotive Club of Buffalo assumed $500,000 would be needed at the time to secure that a 200-foot-wide boulevard could be built. They recognized that Niagara Falls was a busy tourist attraction and as automobiles became more prevalent, a new road would be necessary. They were looking into available options, including petitioning the state legislature to fund and maintain the boulevard. Niagara Falls Boulevard was completed in 1913 by Constantine Construction Company. It was made completely out of brick and spanned from Tonawanda to Niagara Falls. All the original bricks were removed in the 1990's with advances in construction and Niagara Falls Boulevard is still in use today.