Overnight Stay Booking Required
Stay at The Mansion on Delaware
Spend the night at the restored Sternberg House, a 28-room luxury boutique hotel and Historic Hotels of America member.
- Duration:
- 12 hr
Haunted Hotel / Inn
The Mansion on Delaware Avenue (Sternberg House)
Second Empire mansion built 1869 for grain-elevator owner Charles F. Sternberg, later a 100-room hotel and 25-year ruin, restored as a luxury hotel in 2001 where country star Dierks Bentley reports unexplained experiences.
414 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202
Wheelchair Accessible
Research-Backed · 4sources
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Luxury 28-room boutique hotel; rates vary by season and room type.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Restored 19th-century mansion with elevator access to guest floors
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1869 · 1869 Second Empire mansion by architect George M. Allison · Commissioned by grain-elevator owner Charles F. Sternberg · Converted to 100-room hotel by Samuel Curtis Trubee, 1880s · Allegedly operated as Depression-era bordello · Victor Hugo Wine Cellar (post-WWII) · 25-year abandonment ended by $3M restoration, 2001 · Historic Hotels of America member · Contributing structure in Allentown Historic District
Charles F. Sternberg, owner of a Buffalo grain elevator on Ohio Street, commissioned the mansion at 414 Delaware Avenue in 1869 as his private residence, at the then-extraordinary cost of $200,000. The architect was George M. Allison, who designed several of the costly Second Empire mansions that lined Delaware Avenue in the 1860s and 1870s during Buffalo's first great wave of post-Civil-War wealth.
In the 1880s the property passed to Samuel Curtis Trubee, who built a large annex on the rear of the house and converted the estate into a 100-room hotel. During Buffalo's turn-of-the-century heyday it was reportedly the most expensive hotel in the city at $3 a night. Local oral tradition and several published Buffalo histories describe the property as having operated as a Depression-era bordello during the 1930s, although primary documentation of that period is limited.
After World War II the building's main floors became the celebrated Victor Hugo Wine Cellar, run by restaurateur Hugo DiGiulio. The wine cellar closed in the 1970s and the mansion subsequently stood vacant for roughly 25 years, deteriorating significantly.
In 2001 the property reopened as the Mansion on Delaware Avenue, a 28-room luxury boutique hotel, following a $3 million restoration. It joined Historic Hotels of America and is considered one of Buffalo's finest small hotels. The Sternberg House is a contributing structure in the Allentown Historic District.
Sources
- https://wyrk.com/is-the-mansion-hotel-in-buffalo-haunted-dierks-bentley-would-probably-say-yes-video/
- https://buffaloah.com/a/del/414/ext414/index.html
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=76056
- https://www.preservationready.org/Buildings/414DelawareAvenue
Apparition of a young girlSensation of a small hand touching guest's faceUnexplained experiences reported by celebrity guest (Dierks Bentley)
The Mansion on Delaware Avenue's haunted reputation is anchored to two distinct stories that the hotel itself acknowledges only obliquely.
The first is the recurring spirit of a young girl, said by hotel staff and ghost-walk operators to occasionally appear in the second-floor corridors of the original 1869 portion of the house. One published guest account, cited in WYRK's feature on the property, describes the man waking briefly as he was falling asleep to feel what he interpreted as a small hand touching his face; no living person was in the room.
The second strand involves country singer Dierks Bentley. Per WYRK's coverage, Bentley has publicly described having unexplained experiences during stays at the hotel, an account he repeated in a televised interview that the radio station's article catalogs and links to. Hotel ownership has neither confirmed nor denied the specifics of Bentley's account but has used the haunted reputation lightly in its marketing.
The building's layered history — private residence, 100-room hotel, alleged Depression-era brothel, supper club, 25-year abandonment — is consistently cited by Buffalo ghost-tour operators as the basis for the activity. Mason Winfield's Allentown Haunted History Ghost Walk has included the Mansion as a stop since the late 1990s. No formal televised paranormal investigation has been conducted at the property.
Notable Entities
The young girl spirit (lore)
Media Appearances
- WYRK radio feature with Dierks Bentley clip
- Mason Winfield Allentown Haunted History Ghost Walk
Plan Your Visit
2 ways to experience Walking Tour Booking Required
Mason Winfield Allentown ghost-walk stop
Featured on Mason Winfield's long-running Allentown Haunted History Ghost Walk (operating since 1999) as a stop on the Delaware Avenue route.
- Duration:
- 20 min
#buffalo
#new-york
#boutique-hotel
#second-empire
#historic-hotels-of-america
#dierks-bentley
#sternberg-house
Sources & Further Reading
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Mansion on Delaware Avenue (Sternberg House) family-friendly?
Luxury boutique hotel suitable for older children traveling with adults; the haunting lore is gentle (a child spirit and ambient phenomena). The hotel's Depression-era brothel chapter is part of the building's history and best handled with older kids. Overall family fit: Moderate.
How much does it cost to visit The Mansion on Delaware Avenue (Sternberg House)?
Luxury 28-room boutique hotel; rates vary by season and room type.
Do I need to book in advance?
Yes, reservations are required.
Is The Mansion on Delaware Avenue (Sternberg House) wheelchair accessible?
Yes, The Mansion on Delaware Avenue (Sternberg House) is wheelchair accessible. Terrain: Restored 19th-century mansion with elevator access to guest floors.