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Explore the story behind the landscape at the former Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane, now known as the Richardson Olmsted Campus. From its beginnings in the 1800s, the Asylum transformed the treatment of people with mental illness by focusing on gardens, farming, and fresh air. Today, the Richardson is one of the largest historic preservation projects in the nation and its landscape is being renewed for a new generation of visitors.
First youll roam through the 9-acre South Lawn a reimagined version of the therapeutic landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Youll learn how this meticulously-planned natural setting helped heal people with mental illness for more than a century and how it is helping to revitalize an urban neighborhood today.
Your knowledgeable docent will then take you back to the days when a bustling, working farm occupied nearly 100 acres on-site. Patients engaged in landscape-therapy, helping to raise livestock, grow crops, milk cows, and tend fruit orchards and greenhouse flowers. Not only did their work improve their own mental health, it also supported a largely self-sufficient institution.
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LocationRichardson Olmsted Campus (View)
444 Forest Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14203
United States
Categories
Minimum Age: 12 |
Kid Friendly: No |
Dog Friendly: No |
Non-Smoking: Yes! |
Wheelchair Accessible: No |
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