Statler Hotel

Statler Hilton Hotel

Castle Inn/Millard Fillmore Mansion

Location

750,000 sq.ft. 18 story hotel located on Niagara Square

First floor partially renovated, upper floors and exterior facade in need of restoration

US President Millard Fillmore lived in a mansion at this site. Later the mansion became the Castle Inn, demolished to build the hotel.
Ellsworth Statler built and moved to this location after being located at what was later renamed the Hotel Buffalo.
From Wikipedia: "The second Buffalo Statler was gradually converted to offices starting in 1948 (when WBEN-TV began using the building as their first studios) because it had more hotel rooms than the city could support. In 1984 the last hotel rooms were closed and the building was renamed Statler Towers, although its ballrooms remained in use for catered events and banquets. After a failed renovation attempt into a combination of hotel and condos in the late 2000s, the building went into bankruptcy, and was auctioned in August 2010. On March 15, 2011, the property was acquired by developer Mark D. Croce, who is currently refurbishing the building as Statler City. The public rooms on the lower floors reopened on Dec 31, 2011 with the upper floors set to reopen later."

2006 - Bashar Issa bought the Statler and promised a $100 million renovation (along with plans to build a 40 story office tower on S. Elmwood Avenue). Only a small portion of the renovations were completed.
'Issa's company was placed into involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and the Statler was ultimately mothballed and then sold, twice, out of bankruptcy.' WKBW
2011 - Mark Croce purchases the building
June 4, 2013 - Hearing scheduled to determine of the $5.3 million of public money will be released for exterior stabilization
May 19, 2014 - Report states that the $5.3 million in state money will soon be funneled through Empire State Development through the City of Buffalo to Croce.
July 28, 2014 - Croce states that the facade work will go out to bid this summer now that the $5.3 million in state aid has been released
October 2014 - Masonry repairs begin
October 2014 - Croce begins offering upper floors for lease (Buffalo News): "The lower levels of the hotel are now used for weddings and banquets, but Croce wants to capitalize on what he sees as new energy in downtown Buffalo. He�s seeking retail or commercial tenants for the 16 open floors of the prominent edifice located on the edge of Niagara Square, starting with a retailer for the ground floor and offices for the third and fourth floors � which could be quickly prepared for new tenants with only cosmetic changes."