Former National Fuel HQ gets new life

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Buffalo is paving the way for a new hotel, apartments and office complex at Lafayette Square.

You might recall paying your gas bills at the Tishman building, which used to house the headquarters for National Fuel. Now the building is set to be transformed into downtown Buffalo's newest luxury hotel.

Mark Hamister, CEO of the Hamister Group, said, "It will include a Hilton Garden Inn, including luxury apartments, and our corporate headquarters, which will reside on the top three floors of the building."

MORE | See photos of what the future Hilton Garden Inn hotel will look like

Ironically, National Fuel moved its headquarters from the Tishman building to Amherst. Now the Hamister Group is moving its home office from Amherst to the Tishman building. The $40 million project is made possible by historic preservation tax incentives.

Hamister Group Sr. Vice President Daniel Hamister said, "It was a huge influence. Without it, we would not have been able to do it. There is a cost involved in the project."

The new Hilton Garden Inn joins other downtown projects, such as the old Lafayette Hotel, just across the square, and the Statler Towers that has exceeded all expectations. The Hamisters say the Tishman project will create 400 construction jobs for the renovation and more than 50 permanent jobs when the hotel is finished.

Mayor Byron Brown said, "This is great news for development in downtown Buffalo, and for Buffalo and western New York. The city is very pleased that we were able to work with the Hamister Group in keeping this great project for downtown Buffalo, moving forward."

Mark Hamister says work on the project should get started by the end of the year and the welcome mat for the new hotel will roll out by 2014.