I took some photos and then came home to google which building had belonged to the company before their move (fairly recently....2015) from another building to our present location. My research is not perfect. However, I believe that the company had started out in a building across the street from the mansion that one sees now. Perhaps it was on the lot where the Walgreens stands now.
In 1915, a company was starrted by the Jacob Brothers. They were located at the intersection of Delaware and North Streets in Buffalo, NY. Over the years, the successful Jacobs Brothers firm wanted a more marketable name and considered many. Unable to settle on one, they decided to make it easy was to just use the intersection out front. Thus, they became the Delaware North Company.
There is one significant event in this story. As things went, the neighbor across the street lived in a rather large house known as the Butler Mansion. In the years that followed, the Delaware North Company (or DNC) acquired it. In 1901, the mansion was then donated to the State University of New York (SUNY). The building was earmarked to become the Jacobs Executive Development Center, honoring the original founders. It is now a setting for corporate events, business training, conferences and social functions.
The guest of honor at the dedication was to be President William McKinley. He was in Buffalo for other ceremonies. The date was September 6, 1901. That afternoon, the president was killed by an assassin during a public reception. To complete the story, DNC re-bought the Butler mansion and moved its corporate headquarters there. Today, Delaware North has over $2 billion in revenues, and is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States. It employs approximately 40,000 Worldwide.
This information was found at a google search:http://hikehalfdome.com/dnc-delaware-north-company/
My best understanding since reading several posts on the internet is that in 1915 the company that is now Delaware North was founded by the three brothers with last name Jacobs. Their business address was located at the intersection of Delaware and North in Buffalo. My best guess is that the actual first building was located where the Walgreens is located now. But I could not find a single site that explained this possibility. The above story does not make sense unless the family had money before they founded the company as the company wasn't founded until 1915. But there is no doubt at some point the Jacobs brothers did acquire the mansion. And there is no doubt that it is now used by the University of Buffalo. And there is no doubt that the corporate headquarters of the company is now the top floor of the building that also houses the Westin in which we are staying about three blocks closer to the lake than the mansion.
Then when I rethought this scenario again later, it is possible that the brothers were in business earlier than the 1925 date. That they were already successful, but had not formed a company and that indeed they bought the mansion before the formation of the company in 1925. And that when they formed the company, they adopted the address as the name of the company.
Delaware North is now a huge company that employees 55,000 people and is involved in casinos, food service, hotels and etc all over the world. The company owns the Boston Bruins and the building in which the Boston Bruins play games.
I have found the Westin to be fascinating in many ways. It has turned out to be another highlight of the trip.
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