Last evening, Ellicott Development Company held an official Grand Opening Celebration of 500 Pearl & Aloft Buffalo Downtown. This was the first time that I saw the building complex firing on (almost) all cylinders – from the W XYZ Bar & Lounge to the ReCharge fitness center. You might recall what this place, the former Buffalo Christian Center, looked like when it was still under construction back in January (see here).
My buddy and I parked in the adjoining 380 space parking ramp and took the elevator to the lobby. From there we walked up a short flight of stairs, and headed to the swank bar and lounge. The place was buzzing with people, many of who were getting a first glimpse of the project. While I had seen the bar and lounge a couple of weeks earlier, I had not paid a visit to the other finished amenities, such as the fully-restored 850 person capacity historic Forbes Theater and the Aeries Grand Ballroom. We even got a chance to check out the swimming pool, but the rooftop patio was still not operational, so we missed out on that.
Other than the bowling alleys, and the rooftop deck, it looked as if everything else was completed. For those that are staying in the hotel, or in one of the apartments, it looks like they have it made. There is easy access to all sorts of amenities, including a nice gym, the pool, food and drink, parking, and there’s more to come, including another restaurant called Fresh Catch Poke Co.
500 Pearl/Aloft: 110-room Aloft Hotel, 12 high-end apartments, 52,000sf of Class A office space, and nearly 11,000sf of ground floor retail and restaurant space.
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