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. The Richardson Hotel (formerly Hotel Henry) is now a bright, luxurious, 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. Hotel Henry's history will delight your sense of the macabre, and tickle the ghostly hairs on the back of your neck as if someone were standing right behind you!

The Richardson Olmsted Campus (also known as the H.H. Richardson Complex) was opened in 1880 as the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane.

Like many old asylums, this building is thought to have elevated paranormal activity since its abandonment.

The four-story building is immediately recognizable by two 185-foot towers.

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.

The building has several unique features - one of the most notable being the curved walls.

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 a large part of the building has now been restored into a beautiful hotel its dark past still creeps in.

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and, without ample room to complete their treatment, the complex fell back to treating the mentally ill with old, outdated practices... which were rather horrifying at times.

There are numerous stories of patient torture within the walls of the complex.

Once occupancy was exceeded, some patients were transferred to the Buffalo Psychiatric Center and the Richardson complex was left abandoned.

This is when the real creepiness sets in!

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.

In 1986, the Richardson Olmsted Complex was registered as a National Historic Landmark.

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.

Despite the possibility of ghost encounters, we definitely recommend a stay at this Buffalo hotel!

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!

Spend a night at Hotel Henry in this video - you might just catch a glimpse of a ghost or two if you keep your eyes peeled:

This haunted hotel in Buffalo has so many stories to tell. Has Hotel Henry’s history enticed you to book a visit at the newly remodeled Richardson Hotel? If you have stories from the Richardson Complex that you think is chill-inducing, share them with us in the comments!

Be sure to check out another Buffalo haunted hotel, a theater, a park, and even an opera house in this article. Because there are always more haunted places to explore in New York.