General Brock Hotel Niagara Falls Canada Vintage Color Halftone Postcard

General Brock Hotel ca. 1948

General Brock Hotel

Niagara Falls, Canada

No. 307

Printed in Canada

3-5/8 x 5-1/2 inches

Divided Back, Blank Stamp Box

Blog Post by Mary Katherine May. Rick and Mary May operate QualityMusicandBooks.com and the GrandmaHen Treasure Shop on Etsy.

Here is an example of a vintage post card which is not in the best condition due to a major corner crease that can be creatively used as an educational tool.

Historical Niagara Falls, Canada

LINK TO SOURCE

The General Brock Hotel has a magnificent, unobstructed view of the Niagara Falls. Luxurious, spacious suites and the renowned Rainbow Room that it one of the world’s outstanding hotels.  Adjacent to the Oakes Memorial Garden Theatre, the Lookout Point Golf Course, the Rainbow Bridge and the Niagara Parkway.

In January, 1929 construction began on the General Brock Hotel, the first high rise hotel on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.  On the top floor of the eleven-story structure was the glass-enclosed Rainbow Room, a banquet hall offering a superb view of the Falls and Niagara Gorge.  

The hotel opened for business in July, 1929, after which two more floors were added to the building. Over the years many prominent celebrities stayed at the General Brock Hotel including Walt Disney, Shirley Temple, Queen Elizabeth, Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Willis and Jackie Chan. Today the hotel is known as the Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls Fallsview Hotel.

General Brock Hotel, Niagara Falls, Canada

History and Biography: Isaac Brock, War of 1812

LINK TO SOURCE

Major General Sir Isaac Brock (1769-1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. He became responsible for defending Upper Canada against the United States.  When the War of 1812 broke out, quick victories at Fort Mackinac and Detroit defeated American invasion efforts. 

At the Battle of Queenston Heights Brock was struck in the wrist of his sword arm by a musket ball but continued to press home the attack. His height and energetic gestures, together with his officer’s uniform and gaudy sash given to him eight weeks earlier by Teccumseh after the Seige of Detroit, made him a conspicuous target. An unknown American stepped forward from a thicket and fired at a range of barely fifty yards. The musketball struck Brock in the chest and he fell. His last words have been reported (though unlikely spoken) as “Push on, brave York Volunteers!”  The hole in his uniform suggests that the bullet entered his heart and he died immediately.

Canadians regard Brock as one of their greatest military heroes. Though not born or naturalized as a Canadian, he was voted number 28 on the television show The Greatest Canadian. 

HISTORY OF POSTCARDS AND PRINTING

The question when dating this postcard is to look at its photograph and count the floors. In 1948, two additions stories were added to the original eleven. A verification is easy to do by looking at contemporary internet photos. I found used two copies of this card for sale with postmark dates of 1949 and 1951.

The number 307 shows it to have been one card in a series. The series could have been about scenic sites in Canada or part of a souvenir set showing views of Niagara Falls. 

An interesting research project would be to look for 1948 information and photographs of Niagara Falls to put the building into the context of the time.

Looking at the scene with a magnifier tells me it is a halftone print made with little dots of color on a white background that when looked at from a normal viewing distance appears as solid color.

General Brock Hotel, Niagara Falls, Canada. No. 307. Printed in Canada