National Historic Landmark · Buffalo, New York

Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane

Built 1870 by Henry Hobson Richardson. Added to the National Register in 1986, and a National Historic Landmark.

Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane
Photos via Wikimedia Commons

The record

Property typeBuilding
Address400 Forest Ave., Buffalo, NY
CountyErie County
ListedJun 24, 1986
Listed forArchitecture
Level of significanceNational
Also known asState Lunatic Asylum; Buffalo Psychiatric Center
Reference number86003557
Built1870 · more from the 1870s
ArchitectHenry Hobson Richardson
StyleRichardsonian Romanesque
DesignationsNational Historic Landmark

The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗

Visiting

Address400 Forest Ave., Buffalo, NY
Coordinates42.9294° N, 78.8821° W · Directions ↗
Also in Buffalo211 listed places in Buffalo →
Listing on the Register does not open the door. Unless a museum or park runs it, treat this as private property and see it from the sidewalk.

Explore

Map

Local history books for Buffalo and Erie County

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Guidebooks to historic places in New York

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

When was Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane listed on the National Register?

Jun 24, 1986. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.

Source: National Park Service

When was Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane built?

1870, designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.

Source: Wikidata

Where is Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane?

400 Forest Ave., Buffalo, Erie County, New York.

Source: National Park Service

Where is the nomination form for Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane?

The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.

Source: National Archives

Sources

Name, location, type and dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet of listed properties, because the Park Service's spatial data does not carry this listing. The map point comes from Wikidata. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 86003557. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place.