The Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, also known as the Schoellkopf Geological Museum, was a museum within Niagara Falls State Park and the city of

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. It opened in 1971. Its role was to showcase the natural history of the Falls and the

Niagara Gorge Niagara Gorge is an long canyon carved by the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the ...

via the ancient rock layers and minerals. The museum also showcased the history of the Great Gorge Route trolley line and featured a number of hiking trails. The museum's location was where the

Schoellkopf Power Station The Schoellkopf Power Station was built on land owned by Jacob F. Schoellkopf above the Niagara Gorge near the American Falls, downriver from Rainbow Bridge (Niagara Falls), Rainbow Bridge. Understanding the growing need for electricity and the r ...

, one of the first

hydroelectric plants Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

in the United States, stood until it was destroyed by rockfall in 1956. The museum closed in 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and never reopened. In 2024, the vacant building was repurposed as an expansion of the

Aquarium of Niagara The Aquarium of Niagara is a non-profit public aquarium in Niagara Falls, New York dedicated to education and conservation of aquatic life. Founded as a private company by a group of researchers and chemists as a test site for a groundbreaking f ...

, which is located nearby. The removal of the

Robert Moses State Parkway The Niagara Scenic Parkway (known as the Robert Moses State Parkway until 2016) is a state parkway in western Niagara County, New York, in the United States. Its southern terminus is at the LaSalle Expressway on the east bank of the Niagara R ...

(and part of Whirlpool Street), which formerly separated the two buildings, allowed them to become part of the same campus. The expansion is called Great Lakes 360 and focuses on the wildlife of the Niagara River and the larger Great Lakes ecosystem.

References

External links

Niagara Gorge Discover Center Official Site
Museums in Niagara County, New York Natural history museums in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Niagara Falls, New York Geology museums in New York (state) Schoellkopf family 1971 establishments in New York (state) 2020 disestablishments in New York (state) Museums established in 1971 Museums disestablished in 2020 {{NewYork-museum-stub