BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Take a stroll down Lafayette Avenue in Buffalo and you're likely to encounter a number of opulent homes - including this one at number 619. It's the historic Hewitt Mansion, and it has quite a storied past.
"It was built for Herbert H. Hewitt. They broke ground in 1898 and I believe they moved in right around the turn of the century,” remarked Joseph Lettieri.
Hewitt was an inventor and the founder of Buffalo Brass Company and his namesake, Hewitt Rubber Company. After he and wife Sarah Hewitt passed, ownership changed hands several times until it became a rooming house. Lettieri acquired the property with wife Ellen during a foreclosure auction in October 2011.
"We actually inherited tenants and the woman who lost it to foreclosure,” Lettieri said. “We kept them on board and they helped us with carrying costs while we came up with plans for the inn."
The "inn" he's talking about is the couple’s new purpose for the mansion. Dubbed the InnBuffalo off Elmwood, the home is being restored with upper floors converted into nine luxurious hotel suites. Each room has become a mini-investigation of sorts, as Lettieri has discovered what previous tenants had covered up.
"We uncovered some hand painted artwork on the ceiling, hand painted artwork on the walls. We uncovered some shadowing where the fireplace mantle might have been. Gives us clues to replicate,” Lettieri explained.
It's preservation in progress - the Lettieri's have spent close to a million dollars so far in restoration costs - and there's still a way to go. But the pair says it’s a labor of love to turn it back into its original intention: to welcome guests from around the corner and around the world.
“It’s so important for us to do it right. It’s really been an incredible journey and it’s made us much more cognizant of the responsibilities we have being stewards of this home,” he added.
With no grand opening date set just yet, the Inn is still in a "soft launch" mode, offering room discounts both during the week and on the weekends.