The grand opening of the Hotel Lafayette, on June 2, 1904, was a momentous occasion for the City of Buffalo; the New York Times described it as “one of the most perfectly appointed and magnificent hotels in this country.” The hotel’s design became Bethune, Bethune & Fuchs most important project. With the Hotel Lafayette, Louise demonstrated her design abilities on a project that was worthy of national attention.
A pamphlet for the Hotel Lafayette described the exterior “of dark red vitreous brick and trimmings of semi-glazed white terra cotta” and the “marquise carriage porch and window balconies” of wrought iron. The first-floor exterior façade was composed entirely of terra cotta. The arched openings over the store-front windows and doors had a Romanesque aesthetic that was common in the Italianate and French Renaissance styles.
The beveled corner of the building that faced the intersection of Washington and Clinton Streets was the focus of the building, serving as the main entrance. The frieze detailing the roofline provided the greatest ornamentation, with terra cotta corbels and classical egg-and-dart sculpture. Three lion’s heads...kept watch over the main entry...it was noted that there was “nothing like it between New York and Chicago.”
Narration by Kelly Hayes McAlonie FAIA, AUA, LEED AP, Director, Campus Planning, University at Buffalo and author of the book, Louise Blanchard Bethune: Every Woman Her Own Architect
Plan of the fifth floor, Hotel Lafayette, 1901
Plan of first floor, Hotel Lafayette, 1901. Bethune, Bethune & Fuchs Architects
Rendering of the Hotel Lafayette by Bethune, Bethune & Fuchs Architects, October 1902
Lafayette Square with the newly opened Hotel Lafayette