From the Niagara Falls Review:
The stone manse cuts an imposing figure atop Dufferin Islands.
Built in Tudor style, Oak Hall -the former home of mining magnate Sir Harry Oakes -still bears his name. The Oakes coat of arms etched into the stone during his $500,000 renovation of the property in the 1920s is softened by time, but still clearly visible to anyone who stops by.
The five-hole golf course Oakes built to while away the hours when in Niagara Falls has long since been replaced by a nine-hole par-three public course run by the Niagara Parks Commission, which purchased the property in 1959.
“I think people are intimidated by this old mansion,” said Jim Hill, the Parks’ superintendent of heritage.
“But people can come inside and go through it, on the main floor, anyway.”