Downtown Buffalo's historic Lafayette Hotel is being considered for redevelopment by local developer Rocco Termini. Preliminary plans call for the faded hotel to be renovated into approximately 100 market-rate apartments, one floor of refurbished hotel rooms, and the former restaurant and ballroom spaces restored and reopened as banquet facilities.
Rocco Termini and building maintenance supervisor Tim Jones led a tour of the 106-year-old property last Monday. Much of the building's first floor is closed to the public. Once grand spaces have been ravaged by general neglect, water damage, and remodeling work unsympathetic to the building's original architectural detailing.
Jones described the building's current state "as if you were walking through the Titanic. After it sank."
Many of the rooms were dark without any source of light. In many cases, I struggled to pick up anything with my camera flash. Bathrooms with marble stalls still had garbage in the trash cans. Water damage from broken plumbing on upper floors is common throughout the untouched rooms. Several of the former ballrooms and restaurants were converted to office space some time ago. A radio station and AAA had offices in the building at one time. Drop ceilings were installed, paneling obscures once beautiful walls and columns, and paint covers intricate murals.
Time seemed to stop. We traveled back into a period of elegance and history.
As we toured, Termini made it clear that he wants to restore the building to its original glory, as much as possible. The Lafayette Hotel is the only remaining structure that was built by the first American women architect, Louise Blanchard Bethune. Applying to college, Louise lied that she was a woman so that she could fulfill her passion. Her dream was to become an architect, and nothing could stand in her way. She was selected to design a hotel at Lafayette Square during the late 1800's.
Plans were to open the hotel in time for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. The hotel's owners ran into financial trouble, and its opening was delayed. Finally finished in 1904, it is one of Buffalo's most unique and beautiful buildings.
The building is a form of French Renaissance architecture, once consisting of an opulent interior, featuring a splendid crystal chandelier-hung ballroom, leaded glass skylights, marble columns, mahogany coatrooms, and a handsome oak-paneled men's bar and dining room (Image above- Lafayette Hotel taken shortly after opening. Credit: Buffaloah.com).In its heyday, the Lafayette Hotel was considered on of the 15 finest hotels in the country. Today, it has seen years of decline and damage, but much of it is extremely intact.
One corner hotel room on the building's third floor retains much of its original detailing including a fireplace and platform tub (image right).
The main hotel lobby was remodeled in the 1930's and received an Art Deco makeover. Plans are to keep the Art Deco look of the lobby and restore the balance of the first floor to its 1904 appearance.
Many original light fixtures, now-darkened skylights, marble accents, hand-laid and textured flooring, and beautifully carved architectural designs throughout the building will be restored and/or recreated. Several antique radios that remain in the building will be placed in the new hotel rooms. The Lafayette Tap Room will remain as the building's anchor.
Reuse of the building is not a done deal. Termini's ambitious plans rely on the use of State historic preservation tax credits. He says changes are needed to the tax credit program to make the credits marketable. State leaders are currently looking at tweaking the program to address developer concerns.
It's clear that there is/would be a lot of work to be done to countless parts of the building, however, it seems as though there is a pretty good base to work with. Who knows what kind of shape the materials are in, but the rooms are a good size for smaller apratments and there is plenty to work with in terms of public space. Fingers crossed.