(Ed Healy)

Dear Preservation 911,

I'm writing to bring to your attention to a deplorable situation in Buffalo, N.Y., in which the State of New York is allowing a National Historic Landmark, the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, to deteriorate into a state of complete disrepair and near ruin. This complex of buildings is an irreplaceable national treasure, and the state agencies responsible for its maintenance—the Dormitory Authority and the Office of Mental Health—have turned a blind eye to its precipitous decline, completely abdicating their role as caretakers.

Designed by H.H. Richardson, the Psychiatric Center was built in collaboration with Frederick Law Olmsted starting in 1871. The complex was the architect's first major commission and was the predecessor of such renowned buildings as Trinity Church in Boston and the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh. Carolyn Pitts, architectural historian for the National Historic Landmark Program, has called it "one of the most important buildings in the United States."

Bureaucratic equivocation on who is responsible for the edifice and where the money can be found for its maintenance and eventual restoration is allowing a work of art by a world-renowned architect to reach a point where demolition will soon be called inevitable. This situation needs to be brought to the attention of your readers. The State of New York's neglect of the Richardson Complex by is a tragedy in the making.

Sincerely,

Ed Healy

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