BUFFALO, NY ( WKBW ) One of the most glamorous New Year's Eve parties in Western New York was thrown at the newly renovated Statler City Towers in downtown Buffalo Saturday night.
5,000 people wore their very best at this sold out event that featured a gourmet buffet, live big band music from the Jim Tudini Band, in an elegant setting.
Developer Mark Croce purchased the Statler Building in 2011. He re-named it "Statler City" and put his crews to work renovating one of the most iconic landmarks in the city.
Croce is owner of the popular "Chop House" fine dining steak house, along with Laughlin's Restaurant and D'Arcy McGee's in downtown Buffalo.
The Statler was once a grand hotel, and later an office complex, that had fallen into disrepair under previous ownerships. The building was in danger of possibly being torn down, as parts of the facade had actually started to crumble and fall to the street surfaces below.
Croce and a group of investors secured the funding, with millions in aid from the city, to re-develop the property.
Mayor Byron Brown joined Congressman Brian Higgins, Ellicott District Councilman Rev. Darius Pridgen, and other dignitaries, in cutting the ribbon Saturday night for the big party, signaling a new beginning for the Statler.
Channel 7 joined Entercom Radio, The Buffalo News, and Tuxedo Junction in sponsoring the "Ice Ball.'
