The Hotel Lafayette is two months away from opening. That means that a crew of 270 workers is showing up daily to get the historic hotel ready for businesses and residents. “We’re spending $10,000,000 on restaurants inside the building,” developer Rocco Termini told me. “There will be 34,000 square feet of banquet space… all totaled this is a $42,000,000 project that will be 100% operational the day that it opens. That means that the 400 seat Pan American Brewery and Dining Room will be up and running, as will Butterwood Desserts with its 40 bakers and 3000 square feet of walk-in coolers. Butterwood will be operating the old speakeasy in the basement – we are currently in the process of replacing all of the original stained glass windows in order to let natural light inside. We’re also restoring the 110-year old tiles used as flooring in Mike A’s Steakhouse…”
Each time I visit the Hotel Lafayette I come away with additional project details that add up to bigger and better news for downtown Buffalo. Since I last spoke to Rocco, the men’s formalwear store (Get Dressed at The Lafayette) has added a second floor to its storefront. Around a dozen brewery tanks have been delivered and are being hooked up. ‘room’ furniture (from Hertel Avenue) is opening a boutique specializing in wedding gifts. An outdoor galley terrace is being constructed so that visitors can relax outdoors while being naturally protected (by towering brick walls) from the winds off the lake. Every inch of the 30,000 square foot basement is being used for freight access, dining, storage, cooling… all interconnected with the businesses upstairs and the street via winding hallways and staircases. Students from the Art Conservation Department at Buffalo State College are helping to restore the original marquetry and paintings (see more). Around every corner a destination within this destination awaits visitors.
One of the banquet rooms
The Hotel Lafayette will ultimately become a paradise for couples looking to tie the knot. From a flower shop and a cakery to formalwear and a wedding registry. Catering, banquet halls, live music stages, multiple bars and restaurants, a grand lobby, hotel rooms furnished by ‘room’ with two-way fireplaces and elevated beds… there are even two banquet rooms on the top floor. One will have an atrium and the other industrial skylights, a kitchen, a bar and easy access to hotel rooms on the same floor (see slide show). The Hotel Lafayette will be a one stop shop for wedding parties that are looking for the utmost in luxury and convenience. The synergy of the businesses will go a long way towards making the development project fire on all cylinders.
A few of the Pan American Brewery tanks are delivered
While talking to Rocco, he made it ever so clear that there was only one way to make this project work, and that is… making it turnkey. Most of these types of businesses don’t want to walk into a vanilla box. They want to walk into a space where they can start operating immediately. It’s an incredible investment on the part of the developer, but it’s proving to be a method that is working. The Hotel Lafayette is completely full (as far as space allotment). 50 out of the 115 apartments are already spoken for and the hotel rooms are close to being finished. The flurry of activity on the developer’s side will soon lead to another flurry of activity as a host of businesses, all working side by side to achieve a collective goal, open their respective doors to a public that never thought that this type of investment was possible.
Get connected with Signature Development. Lead photo: Fireplace inside Pan American Brewery