Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Building, Site

Location

479 Forest Ave, Buffalo, NY 14213, USA

Lat/Long

42.928007, -78.881661

Grant Recipient

City of Buffalo

The Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane was first chartered in 1870. Construction began in 1871, but the complex did not begin operations until 1880. It stopped treating patients in 1974, when the nearby Buffalo Psychiatric Center was built. The buildings were designed by H. H. Richardson, and the landscape was designed by Olmsted, Vaux & Co., the company owned by Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park in New York City.

During the mid to late 1800’s a movement began for the more humane treatment of the mentally ill. Rather than the often-abusive confinement of the past, many doctors began to advocate for environments that were less prison-like. One such doctor was Thomas Story Kirkbride, who founded the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane, the precursor to the American Psychological Association. His work helped found the modern medical field of Psychiatry. Kirkbride published the 1854 book, “On the Construction, Organization, and General Arrangements of Hospitals for the Insane with Some Remarks on Insanity and Its Treatment”. Kirkbride’s work throughout the 1850’s and 1860’s influenced the design and construction of many of the asylums built during the late 1800’s, including the Buffalo State Asylum.

At the time of its construction, the Buffalo State Asylum was said to have all of the modern improvements of the hospitals in Europe. When the cornerstone was laid in 1872, Buffalo held a large ceremony and the Courier & Republic ran a lengthy, multi-page article about it, including the full speech from New York Governor John T. Hoffman (September 19, 1872). In his speech, Hoffman mentions the recently opened State Asylum in Utica, run by Dr. Gray, the Willard Asylum in Ovid, and a new asylum opened in Poughkeepsie. In his speech, Hoffman discussed the past cruelties in how the insane have been treated by both the government and religious charities and promoted a scientific, humanitarian view on what he called “insanity”. He discussed the recent medical study of psychology and the nervous system, and the push for “the diseases of the brain” to be part of the course of study in medical colleges. He even mentions a new medical view that was emerging on alcoholism, saying, “Among the later discoveries of medical science is the fact that habitual inebriety is a disease, sometimes hereditary, sometimes brought on by indulgence without hereditary tendencies”. Hoffman’s speech blended science, humanism, and religious compassion, exemplifying the changing approach to mental health treatment in the late 1800s.

Dr. Kirkbride’s plan is not mentioned specifically in the plans for Buffalo Asylum, but the buildings and grounds follow them precisely. The environment was designed to provide a relaxing atmosphere with access to nature, promoting cleanliness and good nutrition- an environment thought to cure most mental illnesses. Although early psychology was also deeply flawed, the push for patient’s basic rights and recognition of their suffering was a first step forward in improving their treatment- ideals for which the Buffalo Asylum was built.