Model City, New York
Encyclopedia
Model City, New York is an unincorporated hamlet
in the town of Lewiston
in Niagara County
, New York
, USA.
It was conceived as an urban utopia by an ambitious entrepreneur named William T. Love in the 1890s. He planned it to be "The most beautiful [park] in the world" and planned housing for more than 1 million people and a canal and hydroelectric plant. Love promised in his advertising pamphlets that the city would be free of smog-filled skies, that the land would be beautifully landscaped, housing and quality of life would be a cut above even the loveliest urban environments. However, his plans were never realized, and amid the panic of 1894 his investors backed out. He went on to manage an Ontario
gold mine a few years later, leaving his projects idle. He had only built a few streets before he became bankrupt.
came from the name of William T. Love. His "Love's Canal", which would connect the two levels of the Niagara River, would be the basis for this booming Model City. It would be a shipping lane. He became bankrupt after only digging 4,600 feet of his canal, this segment of which was within the present-day city of Niagara Falls, New York
. He had also constructed a few streets, which would lead him further into bankruptcy.
This same canal, after being used as a toxic waste dump and holding more than 20,000 tons of chemical waste, had a school and a neighborhood built on top of it. It subsequently became America's worst environmental disaster.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the town of Lewiston
Lewiston (town), New York
Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York United States. The population was 16,262 at the 2010 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York....
in Niagara County
Niagara County, New York
Niagara County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,469. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word Onguiaahra; meaning the strait or thunder of waters. It is the location of Niagara Falls and Fort Niagara, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA.
It was conceived as an urban utopia by an ambitious entrepreneur named William T. Love in the 1890s. He planned it to be "The most beautiful [park] in the world" and planned housing for more than 1 million people and a canal and hydroelectric plant. Love promised in his advertising pamphlets that the city would be free of smog-filled skies, that the land would be beautifully landscaped, housing and quality of life would be a cut above even the loveliest urban environments. However, his plans were never realized, and amid the panic of 1894 his investors backed out. He went on to manage an Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
gold mine a few years later, leaving his projects idle. He had only built a few streets before he became bankrupt.
Relation to Love Canal
The name of Love CanalLove Canal
Love Canal was a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, located in the white collar LaSalle section of the city. It officially covers 36 square blocks in the far southeastern corner of the city, along 99th Street and Read Avenue...
came from the name of William T. Love. His "Love's Canal", which would connect the two levels of the Niagara River, would be the basis for this booming Model City. It would be a shipping lane. He became bankrupt after only digging 4,600 feet of his canal, this segment of which was within the present-day city of Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...
. He had also constructed a few streets, which would lead him further into bankruptcy.
This same canal, after being used as a toxic waste dump and holding more than 20,000 tons of chemical waste, had a school and a neighborhood built on top of it. It subsequently became America's worst environmental disaster.