Pyramid Place

In The Beginning

Pyramid Place was located near the Skylon Tower, on Robinson St. and was built using a closed factory on the site. Pyramid Place opened in 1979 with attractions inside the building.Kids Place, a complex of wooden ramps, rope climbs , tunnels, and other types of kid powered equipment, was openedin 1980. Later in 1980, 14 new attractions were added to the playground in a $650,000.00 expansion. It was billed as a million dollar playground.

Rides

Pyramid Place had some amusement rides for 2 seasons in 1981/82. The rides were not near the building, but in a far corner of the parking lot. Conklin Amusements, who provided rides for many small parks, provided rides for Pyramid Place, some of which included a Scrambler, Ferris Wheel, and kiddy rides.

The End of Pyramid Place

The Kids Place playground only last a few years The entire Pyramid Place complex was closed in 1983 because of financial reasons. In August 1984, a fire destroyed the entire playground area. Arson was suspected, and the fire caused $50,000.00 in damage. One of the main problems in fighting the fire, were layers of wood chips spread out along the ground under the playground equipment.

Pyramid Place - reborn

Pyramid Place was given another breath of life in 1995, when the mall structure was renovated and rebuilt. It once housed a dinner theater (since moved to Lundy's Lane), Oscars, a bar (closed), and a glass blowing shop (moved to Queen St). After Maple Leaf Village closed down, the Elvis Presley Museum was moved to Pyramid Place. It has also since closed. A gift shop at the Imax theatre end, is the only tenant left in the mall. While the Imax Theatre next door is still operating, nothing has been really successful in the mall since its creation.

The Pyramid Place mascots are shown here with a small boy in the punching bag area. The cargo net crawl is visible above.(Niagara Falls Ontario Library)

Story from the Niagara Falls Review on August 27, 1984 about the fire that destroyed the play are of Pyramid Place.
(Niagara Falls Ontario Library)