The Richardson Olmsted Campus is one of
three national sites to receive the 2018 Richard H. Dreihaus Foundation
National Preservation Award, granted by the National Trust for Historic
Preservation.
The prestigious award honors adaptive
reuse and innovative preservation efforts to utilize historic buildings in the
future. The 145-year-old campus’ recent
restoration, including the inception of Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference
Center, qualified the campus.
Back in 1872, when the campus was
completed, Ulysses S. Grant won his second term in presidential office.
Suffragist Susan B. Anthony voted illegally for the first time, advocating for
women’s right to vote.
At 145 years old, the campus has witnessed
the rust belt city at its population height during the Industrial Revolution,
through its post-industry decline to its recent resurgence.
“This
Dreihaus award is a tremendous honor as it represents recognition at a national
level. It is especially heartening for the recognition of all of the hard work
and community support that went into this project. We think it is a huge boost
for Buffalo,” Mark Mortenson, executive director of the Richardson
Olmsted Campus, said.
The long-dormant 42-acre complex found
new life when CityInn Buffalo opened Hotel Henry in 2017.
The project revitalized just over
one-third of the entire 463,000 square feet campus. With 10 of the 13 historic
buildings remaining to be rehabilitated, there is still much work to be done.
“We are now in active negotiations with
two developers and continue to pursue other development interest to bring our
vision of a live-work-and-play campus to life, ” Mortenson said. By Francesca Bond and Alexander W. Silvia
