A multimedia show in a 100-year-old generator hall helps visitors to visualize the site?s history?as well as its possible futures. Photo courtesy Niagara Parks
The draw of Niagara Falls is powerful. The sight and sounds of water crashing over the edge of the escarpment into the gorge below was thought, in the Romantic Era, to evoke passion and terror?qualities of the sublime. In subsequent decades, the location?s appeal expanded with the addition of a variety of sideshow attractions and touristic facilities, from hotels to casinos. That culture of entertainment has continued to the present day. Its latest addition is the playful light-and-sound show Currents, presented by Niagara Parks and multimedia designer Thinkwell, and housed within the Niagara Parks Power Station. Recently renovated and opened to the public, the Niagara Parks Power Station was designed by William Birch Rankine to harness the power of the Horseshoe Falls. Inaugurated on January 1, 1905 by the Canadian Niagara Power Company, the historic generator hall once produced thousands of kilowatts of energy. The decommissioned space is the backdrop for an interactive nighttime display that traces the site?s history, from the presence of Indigenous Peoples, to the innovations of power generation within the building, to a contemporary portrayal of people as a source of energy. 
As an architect, to me the remarkable building and its engineering innovations were intriguing in themselves. But the engaging of archite...