Grand opening ceremonies are scheduled tonight for the Hotel Lafayette in downtown Buffalo following a year-long 42-million-dollar renovation. The building has stood in Lafayette Square for 110-years. We've got a sneak peak of the renovations as well as some old photos of the hotel for a look back and a look ahead.

Developer Rocco Termini is hoping to turn the Hotel Lafayette into a center of activity in downtown Buffalo, much like it probably was when it first opened more than a century ago. The above photo of the Hotel Lafayette was taken in 1908. Although the picture is somewhat faded, it looks as though the building has changed much on the outside.  The photo below of Lafayette Square showcases the hotel in background, alongside what was the library.  This one was taken sometime between 1900 and 1915.

Lafayette Square 1900-1915
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Two-thousand guests are expected to attend tonight's black tie grand opening event. The structure houses four banquet rooms, four restaurants, 115 apartments, several shops, and a 34-room boutique hotel. WGRZ reports there are already 200 events scheduled for the hotel, nearly all of the apartments were rented before the building opened and some retailers were actually turned away because of lack of space. Check out the renovations in the story below.

(WGRZ.com)

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