The Niagara Apothecary

Interesting stop on your tour of downtown Niagara-​on-​the-​Lake. Located at the «beginning» of the shopping area on Queen Street, right by the clock tower. The Niagara Apothecary is a beautiful old apothecary shop turned museum. This authentic museum restoration of a 1869 pharmacy that was open and distributing from 1820 to 1964. Come in for photos, stay for a history lesson. If you’re in the mood to learn, you’ll have to make an effort to read the signs while trying to avoid the sure crowd that surrounds you. The building itself is beautiful, the large sign and golden mortar show the high style and eclectic mid-​Victorian commercial architecture. The Italianate façade features arched glazed double doors and two arched plate glass show windows with accents of a Florentine «twisted rope» treatment.
Inside you’ll find lustrous black walnut and butternut fixtures, elaborate plaster rosettes that anchor three beautiful crystal chandeliers giving off the impression of well-​bring and financial stability at that time. It reminds tourists of the high class of this small and rural town, but you learn that it was actually intended to offer a boost to a community experiencing difficult financial and political problems. It’s really incredible the restoration that has gone into this building as it opened its doors at its present location in 1869 (during the Canadian Confederation period). It is the only surviving building of that time in the town. Even at the beauty of the building, it can be a bit of a boring self-​guided tour, although it is free to the public (donations accepted). Definitely worth a stop, just to admire the building itself, but I’d recommend making it a quick stop and researching the history on your own.