New Neighbors

 Students at Buffalo State College are getting new neighbors. They are almost moved in and they are ready to introduce themselves.

By: Kristiana Bochnakova and Katherine Guenther

Buffalo State students have grown accustomed to the collection of old buildings just behind Lot G. 

With its dark gothic towers it is hard to imagine that the former Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane was originally built to reflect modern philosophies on the treatment of the mentally ill. It included gardens, large windows, sunlight — and hope.

The series of connected buildings, designed to look like a flock of flying birds, was considered a masterpiece of architecture when it opened in 1890. The future of the complex looked bright– at least until it was abandoned. For three decades, the site was left to ruin while interested parties fought over its future.

“It seems such a waste to me to see the historical buildings decaying,” said Megan Connell, a commuter student who walks by the building daily.

After legal battles and many proposals the Richardson Center Corp. was appointed to undertake the renovation project in 2006. Hope is alive again at what has been renamed the H.H. Richardson Complex. 

 “It stood for about 30 years, just waiting for a reuse”, said Monica Pellegrino Faix the executive director of the Richardson Olmsted Center Corporation, the current owners of the site.

A boutique hotel, architecture center, conference space and visitor center are just the core project of the corporation’s plan for the Richardson Complex.

“The first phase of reuse will be in the towers building and the ward building on either side”, Pellegrino Faix said, “and that will be the boutique hotel, the event and conference space and the architecture center for Buffalo.”

The renovation of the Richardson Complex is not without the help and input of Buffalo State College.

“We hope that these buildings to the east could be occupied by the college,” Pellegrino Faix said, “and the college has that in their master plan as well.”

The other side of the building has a more unclear future. While every building in the complex will be restored, “We’re just kind of holding these buildings to the west and stabilizing them for future development – arts and culture related development,” Pellegrino Faix said.

The corporation also plans to restore the lawn and garden areas of the complex to use as an open community space.

Early on in the project, public interest in the site was strong. During the 2011 National Preservation Conference a public tour was held with a large crowd turnout.

“That was the first time it had been opened in 10 years,” said Pellegrino Faix, “and a thousand people came in one evening.”

The corporation welcomes the public on this project. “We want to be able to show the public [the building] because this is funded by $76 million in public money,” Pellegrino Faix said. She added, “We’ve always tried to have the public be part of the planning process.”

The Richardson Olmsted Center Corp. is a not-for-profit organization that gets much of its funding from a $76.5 million grant from New York State. While the corporation has taken years to plan the renovation, its goal is to have the complex restored in three years.

“It takes a lot of planning to get to the point where you can do a good job with the reuse,” Pellegrino Faix said. “If you’re going to do it well you need to take the time on the front end to plan.”

The Richardson Complex will have a positive effect on Buffalo State College and the community. The complex will provide a boutique hotel, Buffalo’s Architecture Center and serve as a conference and event space for Buffalo.

The complex will create a place for architectural, educational, cultural, residential, hospitality, and recreational activities. The facility will be able to host events and gatherings, seating roughly 250 to 300 people. This will benefit Buffalo State as it currently does not have many areas where large conferences can be held.

 “Buffalo State told us over and over that they have a strong need for this facility, so we know it will be a big use for the college,” Pellegrino Faix said.

“We want the college to be very involved in the new uses,” Pellegrino Faix said. “There’s a lot of connection between the hotel, event conference center and hospitality program at the school.”

The Richardson Complex, which is in walking distance from campus, will benefit the Hospitality and Tourism Department at Buffalo State. The major requires students to complete 400 hours of hospitality related experience to graduate.

Rebecca Dowsey, chair of the Hospitality Department at Buffalo State College was unavailable for comment at the time of this story. According to the Buffalo State website the H.H. Richardson complex is currently not listed as an approved internship. 

Rosy Syso, a junior, and Hospitality and Tourism major at Buffalo State, is pleased how the Richardson Complex is incorporating the community as well as the students.

“I absolutely believe it will benefit me because I would not only get first-hand experience working in a hotel, which is my concentration within my major, but it will also share the history that Buffalo has and I think that is super important working at any place,” Syso said.

“It’s also steps away from campus and is very convenient for students who live on campus and don’t have a car to get them to an internship,” she added.

 “The uses need to be complimentary,” Pellegrino Faix said. “The hotel compliments the event space because people might come for a wedding and then they stay overnight at the hotel, or people will come for a conference and stay in the hotel.”

 She adds, “That also compliments having an architecture center because people are coming to look at this building because it’s known around the world.”

 “This project can better peoples’ general feeling about where they live,” she said, “to have something developed rather than abandoned.”

The Asa Ransom House:

A History Close to the Heart of Clarence

By Katherine Guenther

Innkeeper and owner Bob Lenz is no stranger to Clarence history. Before purchasing and remodeling the historic Asa Ransom House on Main Street in Clarence, Lenz operated the Red Mill Inn in Clarence during the 1960s and ‘70s but longed to run an inn of his own.“I first discovered the property by visiting the town park,” explained Lenz, who now owns and operates both a bed and breakfast and a restaurant in the historic home, But before Lenz could open his inn, he first had to convince its former owners to part with the property.
“The couple that lived here was retired. . .” he said, “so I asked them if we could by it, because I wanted to develop an inn and they said, ‘Yes but we won’t move off the property.’ So behind the inn is an old cottage; I built the cottage and they moved back there.”

The building has been through two significant remodels since it was purchased by Lenz. The first remodel, which was completed in 1975 allowed Lenz to add a small restaurant to the building. 
“Then in ’92 we added another wing,” he said, “and we got five rooms in the back.” Keeping the character of a house built in 1853 is a year round job.

The 1853 portion of the home rests on brick walls covered in thick green vines that climb two stories up. The building’s additions reach out to the right and are painted in a cool spring yellow to match the flowers that line the building. 
The inside of the building is equally picturesque. The floor is a dark wood hidden under soft floral rugs that lead to the library. A porcelain white fireplace warms the room where visitors are encouraged to sit for a cup of tea. 
Across the entry way the restaurant sits with two French doors left wide open for guests to walk through. The wall beside the restaurant is decorated in dark wood paneling and framed pictures of historic Clarence and Erie County. 

“We have a painter that comes in every January – spends a whole week here goes around and paints. Even though sometimes it doesn’t look like it needs it,” Lenz said.
“We don’t wait until it looks bad.” He added.

The Asa Ransom house played a huge part in the foundation of the town of Clarence.

“Clarence was established March 11, 1808. We just celebrated our Bicentennial. Clarence is the oldest existing town in Erie County.”  Said Town Historian Mark Woodward. 
“Asa Ransom is considered to be, basically, the founder of Clarence.” 
Asa Ransom was one of the first settlers to open a tavern in what was once wilderness. 
“The Holland Land Company, who owned all of Western New York, needed a stage-coach stop every ten miles so he [Asa Ransom] took them up on the offer and came out and built the first log cabin on the property.” Bob Lenz said. 
“In 1853 it was replaced by this brick building.” He added.


A flyer printed by the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society and written by Oneta M. Baker explained, “In 1799, Joseph Ellicott, agent for the Holland Land Company, offered lots ten miles apart in the area that is now Clarence on the old Buffalo road (Main Street) to ‘any proper men who would build and operate taverns upon them.’”
“The first person to accept this offer was a young silversmith by the name of Asa Ransom,” the article continued. According to the article, the building was one of the first hotels in what would become Erie County.
“Ransom Tavern would act as a restaurant, hotel, and land office for settlers headed west.” Said Mark Woodward. 
“This was after the revolutionary war, and the early nation didn’t have money to pay their revolutionary war soldiers. So a lot of time they would give them a cut of the land to make a farm out in the wilderness – which was this area at that time.”
Asa Ransom also developed the first grist mill in the area. In another publication by the Buffalo Historical Society, The Holland Land Company’s Papers: Reports of Joseph Ellicott, Ellicott explained in a 1802 report to Superior Paul Busti, “Another reason that much militated against the sale and settlement in the lands in O has been the want of a grist mill more convenient than to have to pass the Niagara river into Canada to get . . . grain ground.” (p.201). Asa Ransom was able to erect a grist mill were another settler contracted by the Holland Land Company failed. 
“Mr. Ransom,” Ellicott wrote, “who built a saw mill last season with the aid of a small loan has undertaken the erection of a grist mill at the same place,” (p.201).


Lenz tries to give back to the community by serving Western New York-based food and wines. The restaurant uses cheese from Kutter’s Cheese in Corfu, eggs from Kreher’s egg farm in Clarence and a vast assortment of local wines. “We have 40 New York wines on our list", explained Lenz, “and some restaurants don’t carry any.” In addition to local food, many of the decorations in the inn that give it such a distinct character were found at local antique shops.

“All our tea china came from the antique flea market on Sundays,” Lenz explained, “Because most people don’t appreciate that anymore we’d get it [at] very reasonable [prices] and it fits in with our décor.” Lenz bought one of his greatest finds, a large antique mirror that hangs in the 1853 portion of the building, after he found it hanging from a tree at a local flea market.


The preservation of historical buildings is something Lenz believes to be very important. When asked why, he responded simply: “People like history.”