Niagara USA Official Visitor Center earns honor

The Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation's new visitor center located in downtown Niagara Falls was named best New Construction at the 2011 Business First Brick by Brick Award ceremony held Thursday at the Statler Towers, Buffalo.

The Brick by Brick Awards honor the most talented architects, engineers and developers in an array of categories ranging from best Education Project and Best Historic Renovation to best Medical Complex and Best New Construction.

The Niagara USA Official Visitor Center was designed by Foit-Albert Associates and developed and constructed by Sicoli Construction Services, with USA Niagara Development Corp. -- a division of Empire State Development. -- aiding in securing a $1.04 million Federal Transportation Enhancement Program grant for the project.

Business First described the building as "a landmark for tourists and other visitors looking for information on Niagara's history, heritage and attractions."

The Niagara USA Official Visitor Center officially opened in July 2010 and has served as a beacon in the downtown Niagara Falls tourism district, providing key information through customer service, multi-media displays and collateral material to the approximately 8 million visitors to Niagara USA each year. The 8,000- square-foot building located at 10 Rainbow Blvd., features an all glass, day-lit gallery with a two-story waterfall curtain, as well as a centralized office space for NTCC staff.

"The state-of-the-art visitor center located in the heart of downtown Niagara Falls has been a tremendous benefit to the region and our tourism partners," said John H. Percy, president and CEO of the NTCC. "I'd like to thank Foit-Albert Associates, Sicoli Construction and USA Niagara, as without their tremendous talents and commitment to Niagara USA, this project would not have been a success."

The award winners were selected by a three-judge panel made up of Keith Belanger, senior vice president M&T Bank and chairman of Buffalo Place Inc.; Dave Stebbins, vice president, Buffalo Urban Development Corp.; and Jennifer Aiple, executive director. Greater Buffalo Building Owners and Managers Association.