[2] The 12 story, steel frame and concrete hotel was designed by prominent Buffalo architects Esenwein and Johnson and was built in 1924 (cornerstone laid on March 24, 1924).

They feature elaborate ceiling plaster moldings and columns, gilded capitals, faux limestone walls, oak and emerald terrazzo floors.

In April 2011, the property was sold at a foreclosure auction for $1,250,000 to Jamil Kara, a developer from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

[5] In September 2011, Toronto developer Harry Stinson bought the building from Kara for an undisclosed amount, intending to restore it.

[13] In June 2024, Riley's Brine Wells Development LLC resubmitted its plans to restore the structure, at a cost of $50 million.

[15][16] Former guests of the hotel include U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joseph Cotten, and Al Capone.