BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Gatorade billboard showcasing Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen went up on the side of the Statler Hotel in Downtown Buffalo recently.
The billboard has put the Statler back in the spotlight and has many people wondering what's happening with the planned development of the Buffalo landmark.
The billboard has become a "can't-miss" attraction for Bills fans and speaks to the true super-stardom the Bills quarterback.
Crews have been working on turning the building into mixed-use space including residential units. While they have made progress there's still a lot of work to do. Douglas Development invited me inside on Wednesday.
The developers told me $30 million has already been invested and it will take an additional $130 million to complete the project.
The Statler's history stretches back more than a century, initially completed in 1923. Over the years it operated as both a hotel and office building before closing in 2008. Three years later, developer Mark Croce bought the Statler and began renovating the space focusing first on the lower-floor event spaces. During that time he got $5 million in taxpayer funding to help redevelop it.
In 2020 it changed hands to developer Douglas Jemal and most recently the City of Buffalo applied for a multi-million dollar grant to help fund additional repairs.
I got the opportunity to go inside the Statler to show you where the renovation project stands and to better understand the progress.
Greg Baker of Douglas Development said the development of the building is happening slowly but surely.
"The building is 500 feet tall so you have incredible views out of every different area," said Baker. "We'll have 536 apartments throughout the 15 floors and then there's three floors that are basically originally intact rooms."
Baker said Douglas Development has been working on the building for about three years doing rehab, demolition, asbestos abatement and essentially removing everything that's been put in place over the last 50 years after the last hotel closed.
A look into the future shows a mix of retail, office, restaurants, hotel and residential space with views that are hard to beat. He said they expect to be up and running in time for March Madness 2026.
"For the three floors of the hotel, we probably have 12 to 15 months of construction once we start which should be soon so we want to have these three floors fully ready and rented for rooms in March Madness 2026," said Baker.
Milton's Restaurant and Bar on the first floor is set to open to the public in November.
"We're a happy hour bar so we're open Wednesday through Friday," Alexandra Shean, Director of Events said.
She said not a lot of people realize they're currently open for events. She's thankful the Josh Allen billboard is calling attention to their business.
"The six, seven-year-old kid that is me is going crazy right now because it's such an honor," Allen said on Wednesday when asked about the billboard.
Brendan Mehaffy, the Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Planning in Buffalo, said the city has been working closely with Douglas Development to complete the project.
"When that building is alive it's going to be absolutely incredible for this entire region because of the level of vibrancy and energy that it will bring to this space," said Mehaffy. "Mayor Brown issued a call for projects with HUD 108 funds that we have. Douglas Devlopment responded to that. It's being reviewed at this point in time. Honestly I think everybody in this region should be thankful for what Douglas is doing."
Douglas Jemal told us the project is taking longer than expected for several reasons.
"It's banking. It's financing. It's all of the above where the economy is today," said Jemal, but he also said it will be well worth the wait.
Here's a link to the free open house at the Statler, Thursday, September 26.
