Mirror maze attraction coming to Clifton Hill! • Oak Island Creative

Construction has begun on a $3-million circus-themed mirror and laser-maze attraction on Clifton Hill.

It will replace the former Brick City, which was a giant mini city of Legos.

That attraction was demolished last fall after a fire in the attic of the Haunted House next door in August 2014 caused water and smoke damage.

“It was a gift store that was built in 1960, and then it had a Cinema 180 movie theatre on top of it, which then became Brick City,” said Niagara Clifton Group president Charlie Burland.

Burland’s family has owned property on the north side of the hill for 90 years.

“When we had the fire … we had the option of rebuilding what was there, or … rebuild an attraction that we thought would do better than what was there before.”

Burland said his father wanted to open a mirror maze for decades, so when the opportunity became available “we knew what we were going to do.”

He said construction on the 2,500-square-foot Big Top Amazing Mirror and Laser Maze attraction began right after Labour Day, and the aim is to open between April and June.

He said the Big Top Amazing Mirror and Laser Maze will cost around $3 million.

“It’s basically two attractions in one. You can do the mirror-maze portion, or you can do the laser-maze portion, or you can do both.

“You go through about half the mirror maze, and then you go into a few other rooms. One is a claustrophobic room, one is a curtain chaos, which is a curtain maze, and then when you go through those, then you get back into the mirror maze, and you find your way out.”

He said the attraction will feature animated characters such as lions, tigers and tightrope walkers.

Burland said his company has started marketing the attraction, including an information banner wrapped around the front part of the construction site.

He said it will be for all ages, and will be accessible to those with disabilities.

Burland said it’s a good time to improve the attraction offerings on his properties because of the rebound the Niagara Falls tourism industry has experienced in recent years.

“We had the best year since Sept. 11 (2001),” he said. “The U.S. dollar helps, it keeps Canadians home, it attracts the Americans. With all the instability in Europe, a lot of Americans and Canadians decided to stay home.