Crystal Beach is a lakefront community in

Fort Erie, Ontario Fort Erie is a town in the Regional Municipality of Niagara, Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. The town is located at the south eastern corner of the region, on the Niagara River, directly across the Canada–United States border from Buffal ...

, Canada. As of 2016, it had a population of 8,524. It was named for the "crystal clear" water conditions present when it was founded on the northeast shore of

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

, across from Buffalo.

Crystal Beach Park Crystal Beach Park was an amusement park in Crystal Beach, Ontario from 1888 to 1989. It was serviced by the ''SS Canadiana, Canadiana'' passenger ferry in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, making it a popular tourist destination for both Canadians and ...

occupied waterfront land within Crystal Beach from 1888 to 1989, turning the community into a popular

resort town A resort town, resort city or resort destination is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding area. Sometimes ...

. It operated until 1989 when the park was closed permanently. It is now the site of private gated community. '' Laugh in the Dark'', a documentary about efforts to revitalize the community in the waning years of Crystal Beach Park, was released in 1999.

History

The Crystal Beach settlement started as a

police village A police village was a form of municipal government that was used in the province of Ontario, Canada in the early 19th century if the finances or the population of an area did not permit the creation of a village. Formation In the early 19th centu ...

with a summer post office in 1898; a year-round post office opened in 1908. The village was incorporated in 1928, with a population of 298. In 1970, the village was absorbed by

under the regional government scheme.

Crystal Beach Park (1888-1989)

Bay Beach Park (1926-present)

In 1926, John E. Rebstock opened a public beach on land west of

called ''Bay Beach Park''. It contained rental units, a snack bar, and a

dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing, but usually refers to a specific type of twentieth-century venue, with dance clubs (nightclubs) becoming more popular towards the end of the century. The palais de danse was a term ap ...

. Rebstock died in 1941, and his estate maintained the property until selling it to the Town of Fort Erie in 2001. A private developer planned to build a 12-story complex on the site called ''South Beach Condominiums'', but the project was abandoned in 2014. Fort Erie has since renovated the site with modern amenities, and it was officially reopened in 2019.

Crystal Beach Hill Association (1983–present)

In the 1930s,

employees were allowed to build cottages on the Crystal Beach sand dune so that they could live near their jobs. The dune was called Crystal Beach Hill and eventually grew to 43 cottages. In 1983, residents of the land formed the ''Crystal Beach Hill Cottagers Organization'', later renamed the ''Crystal Beach Hill Association'', and purchased the land outright from the park's owner.

Crystal Beach Tennis & Yacht Club (1992–present)

The land where

stood was converted into a

gated community A gated community (or walled community) is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences ...

called ''Crystal Beach Tennis & Yacht Club'' in 1992. The concrete

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

that was built in 1921 to service the Americana and Canadiana ferries remains part of the complex, albeit in a state of disrepair. The concrete

seawall A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation, ...

that was built in 1924 to reinforce the property also remains part of the complex.

Crystal Beach Waterfront Park (2005–present)

The town of

Fort Erie Fort Erie is a town in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. The town is located at the south eastern corner of the region, on the Niagara River, directly across the Canada–United States border from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of ...

has operated a public beach called ''Crystal Beach Waterfront Park'' to the east of ''Crystal Beach Tennis & Yacht Club'' since 2005. It features a boat launch and was next to the Palmwood restaurant which closed in 2021.

South Coast Village (2016–present)

The land where the parking lot of Crystal Beach Park stood directly east of ''Crystal Beach Tennis & Yacht Club'' was converted into the upscale community ''South Coast Village'' in 2016.

References

External links

Official website

Crystal Beach Photographs
{{Authority control Beaches of Ontario Neighbourhoods in Fort Erie, Ontario Populated places established in 1888 Populated places on Lake Erie in Canada