Richardson Olmsted Complex facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Richardson Olmsted Campus |
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| Former names | Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane, Buffalo State Hospital, Richardson Olmsted Complex, Hotel Henry |
| Alternative names | The Richardson Hotel |
| General information | |
| Status | Used as a hotel |
| Location | 444 Forest Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14222 |
| Coordinates | 42°55′43″N 078°52′55.1″W / 42.92861°N 78.881972°W |
| Named for | Henry Hobson Richardson |
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Richardson Olmsted Complex
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| Area | 93 acres (38 ha) |
| Built | Cornerstone placed in 1872. Finished in 1895. |
| Architect | Henry Hobson Richardson |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001186 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 12, 1973 |
| Designated NHL | June 24, 1986 |
| Renovated | 2006-2023 |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 88 |
The Richardson Olmsted Campus in Buffalo, New York, is a very important historic site. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1986. This means it's one of the most important places in the United States.
The campus was designed in the late 1800s by famous architect Henry Hobson Richardson. He worked with landscape designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. They created a special place for treating people with mental illness. This design followed a plan called the Kirkbride Plan, developed by Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride.
Over many years, how mental health was treated changed. The buildings and grounds slowly started to fall apart. By 1974, the last patients left the old hospital wards. In 2006, a group called the Richardson Center Corporation started working to fix up the buildings.
Today, the Richardson Olmsted Campus is being brought back to life. Part of it is now the Hotel Richardson, which opened in 2023. It includes Cafe Calvert, Bar Vaux, and a restaurant called Cucina. Other buildings on the campus have been made safe. A new developer, Douglas Jemal, plans to finish restoring them.
There are also plans to build a new museum here. It will be called the Lipsey Architecture Center Buffalo. This museum will show off Buffalo's amazing history of architecture.
Contents
History of the Campus
In 1865, a senator named Asher P. Nichols suggested building more hospitals for mental health in New York State. One of these was planned for the western part of the state.
Buffalo was chosen as the location for this new hospital. Other cities like Lockport, Batavia, and Warsaw also wanted it. Buffalo offered free drinking water for 100 years. Its location, in a quiet area but close to a busy city, was perfect for the Kirkbride Plan. Dr. John P. Gray, a doctor from Buffalo, oversaw the project. He decided the hospital should care for about 600 patients.
The large hospital buildings were designed in 1870 by architect Henry Hobson Richardson. They were made of red Medina sandstone and brick. The beautiful grounds were designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
Construction started in 1871, and the first stone was placed in 1872. On November 15, 1880, the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane welcomed its first patients. At that time, only the eastern side of the hospital was finished. The western side was completed later, in 1895.
In 1889, New York State approved money to finish building the hospital. H.H. Richardson had passed away in 1886. So, architects Green and Wicks (Edward Brodhead Green) and William W. Carlin took over. They tried to keep Richardson's unique style in their work.
In 1890, the hospital's name changed to the Buffalo State Hospital. That same year, New York State decided it was responsible for mental health care. The hospital, built for about 600 patients, soon became very crowded.
The western parts of the hospital were finished in 1895. Patients were separated by gender, with women in the western wings and men in the eastern wings.
In 1918, the famous towers of the hospital, which had clay-tile roofs, were covered with copper.
In 1927, New York State sold a 100-acre farm that was part of the hospital grounds. This land went to Buffalo State University. This made the campus smaller, from 203 acres to about 100 acres. Six years later, in 1933, part of the green space designed by Olmsted was paved over to create a parking lot.
In the early 1960s, three male patient wards were torn down. This made space for a modern rehabilitation center. The Strozzi Building was finished in 1964. This marked a big change from the original hospital design.
In 1973, the hospital was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The last patients moved out of the original hospital wards in 1974. In 1986, it was named a National Historic Landmark.
The main towers building was used as office space until 1990. After that, the Richardson-designed building sat empty and started to decay for almost 20 years. In 2006, the Richardson Center Corporation, a group working to save the campus, took control. They started to make the buildings safe.
Building Design
Henry Hobson Richardson was chosen to design the Buffalo State Asylum in May 1870. He was born in Louisiana and studied at Harvard College. He also went to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts (School of Fine Arts) in Paris, France.
After returning to New York City, he met Frederick Law Olmsted. They lived near each other and had similar ideas about art. In 1869, Olmsted came to Buffalo to design a park. He met important citizens, including William Dorsheimer, a lawyer. Dorsheimer asked Olmsted to suggest an architect for his new house. Olmsted recommended Richardson. The house Richardson designed for Dorsheimer is still standing today.
Dorsheimer later led the committee that chose the asylum's architect. Because of his good experience with Richardson, he suggested hiring him in May 1870.
The Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane was the biggest project of Richardson's career. It showed off his unique Romanesque Revival style. When other architects copied this style, it became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. People have worked hard to save this style of building. However, three parts of the hospital on the east side were torn down in the 1970s. This made way for newer mental health facilities. In 1927, the northern farmlands were given back to the state. This land was used to build what is now Buffalo State College.
Olmsted and Landscape Design
Plans for the hospital grounds were made around 1870 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. These two had also designed famous parks like Central Park in New York City and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. However, their first plans for Buffalo were lost, and their partnership ended. Olmsted then created a new plan, and parts of it still exist today.
This plan showed the front of the hospital, from the main towers building to Forest Avenue. It also included the area east to Elmwood Avenue. On this land, Olmsted designed an entrance road that looped from Forest Avenue to the front of the main building. There was also a large curving path in front of the east wing of the hospital. More paths ran in front of the hospital wing. A hidden carriage path was also planned, but it was never built.
Olmsted's plan called for planting 150 trees and up to 2000 shrubs. The trees were spaced far apart, creating a forest-like feel. Early photos suggest Olmsted kept many trees that were already growing there. The trees and shrubs were chosen for their different shapes, sizes, and leaf colors. The main goal was to create a "pastoral landscape." Olmsted wanted this open space to allow the public to see the buildings. He also wanted patients to clearly see the outside world during their walks and from their windows.
Today, only a few of Olmsted's original plantings remain. Two Swamp White Oaks stand in front of the main building. A huge White Ash tree is near the fence line along Forest Avenue.
Mental Health Care in Early America
Today, old mental health hospitals might seem strange to some. But at the time, they were a huge step forward in caring for people with mental illness. Many of these hospitals focused not just on medical care, but also on good architecture and design. Living at an asylum was meant to help people get better. Before this, people with mental illness were often kept in poorhouses or jails. They faced harsh treatments like bloodletting or being kept alone.
The first hospital just for mental health opened in 1773 in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was called the Eastern State Hospital. In the early 1800s, more mental hospitals were built across the United States. These included McLean Hospital in Boston and Friend’s Asylum in Philadelphia.
By the mid-1800s, it became clear that better places were needed for people with mental illness. Reformers like Dorothea Dix pushed for more money and laws to build mental health hospitals. Dix traveled across the United States and Europe. She spoke about how important these hospitals were. Her efforts led to the building of 32 mental health hospitals across the country.
After the American Civil War ended in 1865, there was a new focus on building mental health facilities in America.
Thomas Story Kirkbride and His Plan
Thomas Story Kirkbride was born in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, in 1809. He came from a Quaker family. He studied at The College of New Jersey and then at the University of Pennsylvania. He became a surgeon in 1832. After his studies, he worked at The Quaker Asylum at Frankfurt.
From 1835 to 1841, he had his own practice in Philadelphia. He focused on brain and mental health issues. In 1840, he became the Superintendent of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane. He started admitting patients there the next year. In 1844, he helped start the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane (AMSAII). He later served as its secretary and president.
The Kirkbride Plan was a way of caring for mental health that Thomas Story Kirkbride created. He wrote about it in his book, On the Construction, Organization, and General Arrangements of Hospitals for the Insane. His ideas were very new for the 1800s. They were based on a system called moral treatment. This treatment focused on kind psychological care and good behavior. Moral treatment grew from the Enlightenment, which promoted ideas like individual rights.
Kirkbride believed that many mental health problems could be treated and cured. He thought the hospital should be a safe place away from everyday life. The environment was just as important as the medical treatment. Kirkbride strongly believed in fresh air, sunlight, and exercise. He thought these things were key to treating mental illness.
For the building layout, the Kirkbride Plan suggested a V-shaped design with a central main building. It was also called the "congregate plan" or "linear plan." This plan was special because it was the first scientific way to design buildings for mental health care.
The Kirkbride Plan also gave ideas for how the inside of a hospital should look. Kirkbride said that "Each ward should have in it a parlor, a dining room...a corridor, single lodging rooms for patients, a dormitory...a clothes room, a bathroom, and a wash/sink room."
Ward hallways were to be at least 12 feet wide. Patient rooms were to be 11 feet deep by 9 feet wide, with just one bed. Rooms were to be 16 feet high with wood floors and soundproofing. Kirkbride also suggested that a hospital should have no more than about 250 patients. However, the Buffalo State Asylum increased this number to 600.
Fire safety was also important to Kirkbride's plan. Every part connecting buildings was to have stone floors. Iron doors could be closed to stop fires from spreading.
Following the Kirkbride Plan, the Richardson Olmsted Campus has a central tower building. It also has five patient wings on each side, making 11 buildings in total. These are all connected by short, curved hallways. Patients were separated by gender, with men on the east side and women on the west. Patients who needed the most care were placed in the farthest wings. As they got better, they would move closer to the main building. Once there, patients could join more social activities. These included farm work, baseball, and holiday parties.
By the 1900s, "asylums" started to be called "state hospitals." This change showed a new way of thinking about patient care. It also helped reduce the negative ideas about mental health. The old Kirkbride Plan hospitals also started to be replaced by a new "cottage plan." Instead of one huge hospital building, the cottage plan had many smaller buildings. Each building focused on one specific thing, like a building for tuberculosis or surgery. During this time, several smaller buildings were added to the Richardson Olmsted Campus.
In the mid-1900s, the Buffalo State Hospital became very crowded. It was designed to treat short-term illnesses, but it had too many patients with long-term problems. By 1940, a hospital built for about 600 patients had almost 4,000. In 1963, the modern Strozzi Building was built on campus to help with this problem.
Preservation Efforts
A group called the Preservation Coalition of Erie County (now "Preservation Buffalo Niagara") worked hard to save the campus. In 2006, New York State created the Richardson Center Corporation to fix up the site. The state promised $100 million for the restoration.
Fences and lights were put up around the campus. A security officer was hired to patrol and prevent crime. On March 5, 2008, work began on the most damaged buildings, including the roof. This work to make the buildings safe was finished in 2012.
On April 10, 2010, a fire happened at the campus. The damage was estimated at $200,000.
In 2013, the South Lawn landscape on the property was completed.
The Richardson Center Corporation has involved the public in its plans. They held many meetings to get ideas for the campus's future. A Community Advisory Group includes people from nearby neighborhoods, businesses, and preservation groups.
The building is currently being restored by Douglas Development Corporation.
Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center
On January 25, 2013, plans were announced for the first phase of redevelopment. One-third of the campus would become the Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center. It would also include 100 Acres: The Kitchens at Hotel Henry and the Buffalo Architecture Center. These would all be inside the Towers Building and two buildings next to it.
This first phase of restoration was finished in 2016. Hotel Henry and 100 Acres opened in May 2017. In 2020, Hotel Henry closed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Douglas Development and Hotel Richardson
In 2021, Douglas Development Corporation (Douglas Jemal) began leasing the property. They plan to restore the rest of the buildings on the campus.
In March 2023, Douglas Development Corporation reopened the hotel under a new name: Hotel Richardson. The hotel has 88 rooms. It is also close to many Buffalo museums, like the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and the Buffalo History Museum.
Lipsey Architecture Center Buffalo
As of summer 2023, plans are still being made for the Lipsey Architecture Center Buffalo. This new cultural center will focus on the rich history of architecture in Western New York.
Recently, the LACB opened two small exhibits on the ground floor of the Hotel Richardson. One exhibit is about Buffalo architecture in general. The other gives a short history of the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane.
Images for kids
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The main building today
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Under renovation in 2008
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South side of the building in 2017
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South side of the building in 1965
