Richardson Olmsted Complex, State Hospital, Buffalo, NY
The Richardson Olmsted Complex is located a the center of a large park-like campus on the north side of Buffalo, New York, adjacent to the campus of Buffalo State College. Constructed in 1870 as a mental hospital, the campus's Medina red sandstone and brick structures were built according to the Kirkbride Plan, among grounds that were landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted. Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, the building was his largest commission during his storied and significant career, and is an early example of the Richardson Romanesque style, which would later bear the name of its creator. The building was home to administrative facilities in the central tower, which is flanked by five pavilions on each side, which progressively stair-step backwards, for a total of 11 structures in the interconnected complex. During its operation, patients were segregated by sex, with Males being housed in the eastern pavilions, and women in the western pavilions. The building remained in use until the mid-1970s, when patients were transferred to more modern facilities elsewhere on the campus, though the central pavilion continued to be used as office space until 1994. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The building has been the site of preservation campaigns since the 1960s due to its significance; However, three brick pavilions on the eastern end of the complex were demolished in the 1970s to allow for room to build newer psychiatric facilities on the grounds. The building went through a period of significant and prolonged deterioration and uncertainty between the 1970s and 2008, with the unsecured facility becoming vandalized, decayed, and unsafe. However, in 2008, in the wake of a successful lawsuit filed by the Preservation Coalition of Erie County, the State of New York was forced to commit $100 million in order to rehabilitate the structure. Between the spring of 2008 and the fall of 2012, the complex was stabilized, and in 2013, the South Lawn was converted from parking lots back into the original, verdant green space it was meant to be. In 2017, the first phase of the building's adaptive reuse and rehabilitation was completed, which transformed the central three pavilions into the Hotel Henry and Conference Center, with the Buffalo Architecture Center also opening in the renovated structure. The plans for the complex currently are to convert the remaining intact but vacant pavilions into additional space for the Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center, which will be spectacular once it completely transforms and revitalizes this amazing structure.
Richardson Olmsted Complex, State Hospital, Buffalo, NY
The Richardson Olmsted Complex is located a the center of a large park-like campus on the north side of Buffalo, New York, adjacent to the campus of Buffalo State College. Constructed in 1870 as a mental hospital, the campus's Medina red sandstone and brick structures were built according to the Kirkbride Plan, among grounds that were landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted. Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, the building was his largest commission during his storied and significant career, and is an early example of the Richardson Romanesque style, which would later bear the name of its creator. The building was home to administrative facilities in the central tower, which is flanked by five pavilions on each side, which progressively stair-step backwards, for a total of 11 structures in the interconnected complex. During its operation, patients were segregated by sex, with Males being housed in the eastern pavilions, and women in the western pavilions. The building remained in use until the mid-1970s, when patients were transferred to more modern facilities elsewhere on the campus, though the central pavilion continued to be used as office space until 1994. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The building has been the site of preservation campaigns since the 1960s due to its significance; However, three brick pavilions on the eastern end of the complex were demolished in the 1970s to allow for room to build newer psychiatric facilities on the grounds. The building went through a period of significant and prolonged deterioration and uncertainty between the 1970s and 2008, with the unsecured facility becoming vandalized, decayed, and unsafe. However, in 2008, in the wake of a successful lawsuit filed by the Preservation Coalition of Erie County, the State of New York was forced to commit $100 million in order to rehabilitate the structure. Between the spring of 2008 and the fall of 2012, the complex was stabilized, and in 2013, the South Lawn was converted from parking lots back into the original, verdant green space it was meant to be. In 2017, the first phase of the building's adaptive reuse and rehabilitation was completed, which transformed the central three pavilions into the Hotel Henry and Conference Center, with the Buffalo Architecture Center also opening in the renovated structure. The plans for the complex currently are to convert the remaining intact but vacant pavilions into additional space for the Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center, which will be spectacular once it completely transforms and revitalizes this amazing structure.