Richardson Olmsted Campus, Buffalo NY

For Richardson Center Corporation

Heritage Landscapes prepared a detailed cultural landscape report and concepts for the South Lawn for the Richardson Olmsted campus at Buffalo. The former New York State Asylum at Buffalo was an Olmsted Vaux design. developed under the Kirkbride concept as a therapeutic landscape for treatment of the insane. Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. recommended a young Henry Hobson Richardson for the building commission and Olmsted, Vaux & Company designed the landscape.  Heritage Landscapes tasks included

  • Summarize therapeutic landscape, asylum landscape context
  • Landscape history, origins & evolution & character
  • Observe, record landscape existing conditions & character
  • Analyze landscape continuity, change, integrity, significance      
  • Recommend landscape preservation guidelines

Concluding the CLR, to guide future work, we prepared a conceptual landscape treatment approach that will:

  • Respect remaining historic features through sound stewardship
  • Enhance historic character through replacement or recapture
  • Consider appropriate new development that reflects historic landscape character

Planning and implementation project have proceeded aligned to this foundational documentation and guidance. Hotel Henry and the South Lawn projects received the Richard Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Award National Trust award in 2018. The campus phased improvements continue to uplift this historic landscape.

WORKS:

Richardson Olmsted Campus Cultural Landscape Report, 2008; South Lawn Concept Design, with WD; 2016

TEAM:

Team Heritage Landscapes, Preservation Landscape Architect, lead Goody Clancy; for South Lawn with Wendel.

QUOTES:

The conjunction of Olmsted Vaux designed Park, Parkside neighborhood and the NYS Asylum for the Insane at Buffalo and the earlier Forest Lawn Cemetery, secured a significant large landscape thatbenefits the Buffalo community to this day. Heritage Landscapes