Richardson Olmsted Complex

$69 million rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the former Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane to create the Richardson Olmsted Complex. 

The project involved renovation of the 180,000 sf Towers Administration Building (“Building 45”) and two adjacent ward buildings (“Building 44” and “Building 10”) into an 88-room boutique hotel and a 300-seat event/conference space. 

Building 45 houses the lobby, ballroom, meeting and reception space, restaurant and lounge, kitchens, fitness center and gallery. The largest room, located on the Tower Building’s 4th floor, doubles as a ballroom and main conference space. The 4,200 sf space was structurally reinforced and has upgraded mechanicals and integrated video broadcast technology. Buildings 44 and 10 house guest rooms and suites of varying sizes and configurations.      

The Complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The existing buildings had experienced significant deterioration after they were abandoned in the 1990s. Design of the project began in 2012 and construction was completed in December 2016, with occupancy in the spring of 2017. The project has received local, state and national recognition for excellence in historic preservation.