The third major development to occur in
the 11th Ward during this era that helped shape the Elmwood District
was the project for the
Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane.
Known by different names over the course of its existence (including
Buffalo State Hospital, the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, and currently
the Richardson- Olmsted Complex), this project was a large undertaking
that had a dramatic impact on shaping and taming the landscape at the
area north of the 11th Ward.
A break-out project designed by soon-to-be nationally prominent architect
Henry Hobson Richardson on grounds designed by
Frederick Law Olmsted,
the Buffalo State Asylum helped to establish the high standard of
architecture set amidst an enveloping designed landscape for the
Elmwood area. With Forest Lawn Cemetery and the Olmsted parks system,
notably
The Park,
the establishment of the Buffalo State Asylum also helped to shape what
would become the northern boundary and the essential character of the
Elmwood Historic District.
While the Buffalo State Asylum created a notable architectural feature
in the landscape of the 11th Ward, the grounds of the hospital also
were a significant new addition to the area. The grounds were surveyed
by Marsden Davey in 1870 and designed by Frederick Law Olmsted between
1871 and 1881, with later improvements and refinements made between
1881 and 1899.105 The grounds promoted Thomas Kirkbride’s philosophy of
the therapeutic landscape, where ample natural light, fresh air and
healthy activity were thought to improve the physical and mental
wellbeing of the patients.
This concept of open space and a natural landscape promoting health and
well-being was influential in the development of open, single-family
houses in the Elmwood Historic District. With the completion of the
Buffalo State Hospital buildings and grounds, the final piece of the
framing element of the edges of the Elmwood Historic District was in
place. While the grounds of the hospital formed a barrier for
development, the building’s twin towers created a significant visual
landmark on the horizon that is as recognizable today as it was in the
nineteenth century.
105 Heritage Landscapes, Cultural Landscape Report: The Richardson Olmsted Complex, Buffalo NY, report (October 2008), 1-2. houses in the Elmwood Historic