There were many skeptics when, after months of delay and rhetoric, Mark Croce bought the Statler at the public auction. I was one of those pessimists, not convinced that he had the will and the means to deliver on his promises to resurrect the mammoth building and restore it to become a landmark destination.

I changed my mind when I saw those chairs ...

Oh, Croce will be faced with plenty of opportunities to stumble and the possibility of setbacks during what promises to be a long process. I reserve the right to be critical in the future, but my initial doubts vanished when I saw those chairs, lined up in rows in the refurbished and glistening Golden Ballroom. This was at a public meeting during the National Preservation Trust conference in October.

"They didn't find these chairs in the basement," I said to my wife, Lynn, as we sat and inspected the artfully knurled legs, struts and horizontal bars.

No, they sure didn't. They are stackable wooden chairs, painted gold with black upholstered cushions, and they are known in the trade as Chiavari chairs, named after the town in Italy where they were designed and first manufactured in 1807. Light in weight yet sturdy with the velvet cushions tied to the back, they are decorative and elegant, often described as ballroom chairs. My best information is that for more than 200 years they have been favored for use in palaces, mansions and upscale public venues. Unaware of its pedigree, I once sat on one at a luncheon at Lincoln Center. Now, there they are, at least 500 of them, in the Statler.

The chairs are a sight to behold. They send an obvious message to those who will sit on them now and at future events: The owner seems determined to recapture the grace and panache of the days when E.M. Statler built and furnished the place in 1923. The Chiavari chairs cost somewhere around $30,000 for the lot and more are on order.

"Mark wants the best," said Paul LaMorticella, the interior designer charged with developing the decor. "He truly wants to restore the interior of the building to the way it looked when it was the social and civic center of the city. He wants to create an environment of beauty and sophistication, and in order to do that we are searching hundreds of sources for the materials we want and need."

LaMorticella, known for his designs of restaurants and hotels, has handled several projects for Croce, including The Chophouse and Laughlin's on Franklin Street, two of Croce's high-profile operations. But he considers the Statler to be the paramount challenge of his career. He claims Croce has set no budget for the interior decor, only directing him to make the spaces stunning and return the building to its original splendor.

"He wants it to be a showplace," LaMorticella said. "We are searching for spectacular items and hiring the best tradesmen to do the work. The carpenters, painters and plumbers, masons and all the others are proud they are working on this job."

Like most Buffalonians of a certain age, I have a history with the Statler. I remember when you could saunter through the lobby at certain times of the day and always meet someone you knew. My wedding reception was in the Terrace Room, and that has been polished and enhanced in many ways, readied for a new generation of parties and receptions. Dominating the approach to the room are four massive terra cotta statues representing the four seasons. They were crafted in 1930 in France and LaMorticella found them in a warehouse in Chicago, still in the original crates. He bought them and they oversee the lobby.

The Golden Ballroom and Terrace Room, the Rendezvous Room on the lower level and the Georgian Room on the mezzanine were four of the busiest public venues. They will soon again be ready for use. I walked those areas with LaMorticella. They have been fastidiously refurbished. Already curious people are looking around inside, noticing the polished terrazzo floors, the painted velvet furnishings, the artwork and the draperies. I checked the restrooms in the public areas; they have been redone with new decor and fixtures.

Croce says he plans to rehabilitate the upper floors as demand requires and intends eventually to return the entire building to its original grace and style. Will the Statler transaction be cited years from now as the most significant real estate deal of 2011? Keep me posted.

Dick Hirsch is a veteran Buffalo journalist. Email him at BfloTales@aol.com