The Hotel Lafayette was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. Developer Rocco Termini has converted the historic property into a mix of banquet and restaurant space, a boutique hotel and apartments. Though faded, the structure was recognized as the most important extant design of Louise Bethune (1856-1913), the first female in the United States to be officially recognized as a professional architect by the American Institute of Architects (1888; Fellow in 1889) and the Western Association of Architects (1885), the two professionally accepted organizations during late-nineteenth century. The original Lafayette Hotel was just half the size of the building than stands today as a series of additions were completed after it opened.
The Lafayette is significant as one of the finest examples of a grand early-Twentieth Century hotel in the City of Buffalo and a remarkably intact example of the French Renaissance style of architecture. Nationally, the period of significance has been set from 1902, the beginning of Louis Bethune's involvement in the building's design, until 1929, when the last alteration to the building was completed in harmony to the original Bethune design. Locally, the building's period of significance begins in 1900, when the foundation was laid in preparation for the Pan American Exposition, until 1946, when the hotel underwent a series of interior updates during the World War II period.
This project was completed in 2012. The Hotel Lafayette also has apartments, various resturants and retail establishments
