Victoria Park Restaurant

Operated by the Niagara Parks Commission and originally called the Refectory, Victoria Park Restaurant is located on the Niagara Parkway between Table Rock House and the American Falls. Thomas Barnett’s Museum, built in 1860, originally occupied this site and later from 1889 to 1902, the building was known as the Dufferin Café. In 1902, the Niagara Parks Commission entered into an agreement with the Ontario Power Company which needed to build an water distributor underneath the Dufferin Café. The originally building was demolished and the new building, modelled after a Swiss chalet was completed in 1904 using granite boulders that had been exposed when the Electrical Development Company dried off 11 acres of river bed to construct their powerhouse and gathering weir. Over the years, the restaurant has undergone many additions and renovations.

In 1907, the Niagara Parks administrative staff moved to the Refectory and established their offices in what became known as the Commissioners’ Quarters. In 1926 administrative staff moved out but apparently some spirits remained. There have been a number of ghostly sightings in the Commissioners’ Quarters over the past 25 years. An apparition of man dressed in a tuxedo has been seen as well as numerous sightings of the so-called "Pink Lady" who is dressed in late 19th century formal attire.