Posted in Buffalo
October 16, 2017
The Sinister Story Behind This Popular Buffalo Hotel Will Give You Chills
Like many horror stories, this one begins at an insane asylum. If you’re a Buffalonian, you may already know exactly what we’re talking about. Hotel Henry is now a bright, modern hotel – but the dark history of the H.H. Richardson Complex is still worth mentioning. Read on to see if the sinister story behind this popular Buffalo hotel gives you chills!
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Like many old asylums, this building is thought to have elevated paranormal activity since its abandonment.
This structure was designed by famous architect (and namesake) Henry Hobson Richardson as a part of the "Kirkbride Plan." This plan was intended to change the in-patient care of the mentally ill by providing patients with plenty of natural light and air circulation.
While the curved walls certainly add to the aesthetic appeal of the building, they actually served a greater purpose; it made it more difficult to place rows of patients on hospital beds throughout the hallways, which was a common problem for other asylums at the time when they became overcrowded.
While the original intentions of the facility were good, the asylum quickly became overwhelmed by numbers of mentally ill patients and occupancy was exceeded by thousands. Despite the curved walls, the hospital was overcrowded and, without ample room to complete their treatment according to the Kirkbride plans, the complex fell back to treating the mentally ill with old, outdated practices... which were rather horrifying at times.
Once occupancy was exceeded, some patients were transferred to the Buffalo Psychiatric Center and the Richardson complex was left abandoned.
There are several accounts of ghost sightings and paranormal activity since the complex's abandonment. It is thought that the ghosts of patients who died within the complex still frequent the facility today.
Hotel Henry and the Buffalo Architecture Center currently reside in about 1/3 of the complex. The other 2/3 of the buildings are stabilized - but still very much resemble the facility's dark past until future opportunities arise.
Hotel Henry is beautifully designed and worthy of a visit for your next Buffalo staycation. If you can look past the dark history of this once-creepy asylum that is!
Have you stayed at Hotel Henry yet? If you have stories from the Richardson Complex that you think are chill-inducing, share them with us in the comments below!
