Harry Altman Buffalo's Master Showman
Release of book
Historian publishes new book on Harry Altman
by AMY WALLACE, Amherst Editor 11/6/25
A notable part of Williamsville’s history is being brought back to life in a new book about to be released by Historic Preservation Commission Chair and Village Historical Society Board Member Susan Fenster.
Fenster has published a new biography documenting the life and legacy of Harry Altman, the son of Jewish immigrants who built two of Western New York’s most celebrated nightclubs and helped elevate Buffalo’s entertainment scene to national prominence. Altman operated the former Glen Casino on the site of Glen Park in Williamsville and the Town Casino at the site of the now Town Ballroom in the City of Buffalo for decades in the 1930s until the 1960s.
Altman’s Glen Casino in Williamsville and Town Casino in downtown Buffalo stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the country’s top venues, attracting world-class performers such as Sammy Davis Jr., Duke Ellington, Vic Damone, Al Martino, and Johnnie Ray for having three shows a night.
“I started working on the book right before COVID hit,” Fenster said. “It took five years and when I started with the libraries being closed, I had to do interviews before research.”
Fenster said she decided to write a book about Altman and the Glen Casino and Amusement Park, remembering how she went to the small amusement park there as a child.
“At one point, Glen Park where the casino sat was flat,” Fenster said. “The casino was 140,000 square feet and hosted performances from the likes of Sammy Davis Jr. and other top entertainers at the time. It’s hard to imagine how it was seeing how it is now.”
Fenster said she wanted to learn more about the man behind the casino and the history of the area which became Glen Park in 1976.
According to Fenster, Altman was the youngest of Russian-Jewish immigrants and began his career as a glove salesman, traveling the Northeast and making friends with future film mogul Sam Goldwyn. By the early 1900s, he was hustling as an event promoter and co-owner of small roller rinks and dance halls. On the brink of financial collapse during the Great Depression, Altman took a gamble on a struggling eight-acre picnic grove in Williamsville, transforming it, through vision and relentless work, into the Glen Casino, a dazzling hub of nightlife, laughter, and music that placed Buffalo firmly on the national map.
“Altman’s story is the story of Buffalo itself,” Fenster said. “He was the son of immigrants who built something extraordinary from nothing, a dreamer who believed this city could shine alongside America’s great entertainment capitals.”
Even though Altman brought Williamsville and Buffalo into the national spotlight at the time with mentions in Billboard and other major national columns and solidified his reputation as a showman whose venues could rival the best in New York and Chicago, he also faced antisemitism and other challenges along the way.
By the 1960s, the rise of television and the lure of Las Vegas dimmed the regional nightclub circuit, forcing both the Glen and the Town Casinos to close just months prior to Altman’s death in 1966. Altman’s son-in-law David Goldstein revived the Glen Park venue into the Inferno, a popular and influential rock ‘n’ roll venue hosting stars like Sly & the Family Stone and The Bob Seger System. The Inferno closed in 1968 following a large fire that destroyed the building, bringing an end to several decades of live music performances.
“‘Harry Altman: Buffalo’s Master Showman’ brings to life the story of a man who bridged the Old World and the new, helping define an era when Buffalo’s nightlife could hold its own on the national stage,” according to Fenster.
Fenster graduated from Buffalo State College with degrees in history and journalism and has written extensively on New York state’s social and cultural heritage. “Harry Altman: Buffalo’s Master Showman” will be released on Amazon on Nov. 13 and in print shortly thereafter.
Susan Fenster's Bio
Susan Fenster is a historian and writer based in Western New York. A graduate of Buffalo State College with degrees in history and journalism, she has written extensively on New York State’s social and cultural heritage. Harry Altman: Buffalo’s Master Showman is her most ambitious chronicle of local entertainment history to date.
Book Info
A Summary of Harry Altman: Buffalo's Master Showman
A new biography, "Harry Altman: Buffalo’s Master Showman," traces the remarkable journey of a Russian-Jewish immigrant’s son who built the glittering Town Casino and Glen Casino, bringing world-class entertainers to WNY “three shows a night.” Altman’s success came despite formidable challenges: antisemitic barriers in business and show business, pressures from organized crime, and the shifting tides of postwar entertainment. Yet his perseverance and flair for promotion earned Buffalo mentions in Billboard and other major national columns, solidifying his reputation as a showman whose venues could rival the best in New York and Chicago.
Harry Altman: Buffalo's Master Showman is available at WNY area bookstores, historical societies and gift shops, distributed through Buffalo History Books by Rick Falkowski.
Presentation at The Meeting House in Williamsville, New York
Susan Fenster giving a presentation at the Williamsville Meeting hOUSE.