A Tale of Two Asylums – The Fall of Greystone and Rise of the Richardson Olmsted

In 2009, an article published by the National Register of Historic Buildings observed that the 19th century asylums at Buffalo, designed by H.H. Richardson, and Morris Plains, NJ, designed by Samuel Sloan, were at an identical turning point for demolition or preservation. A decade later, Buffalo’s Richardson Olmsted Campus (R.O.C.) has a new lease on life, while Greystone was unnecessarily demolished. Featuring two espresso talks, a short video and a moderated conversation, this event presents the diverging tales of these remarkable structures and what their respective fates might portend for remaining Kirkbride Hospitals for the insane and other complex buildings like them.

Speakers:
Stephen Brockman, Partner, Deborah Berke Partners
Robert Kirkbride, Dean, Parsons SCE + Spokesperson, PreservationWorks

Moderator:
Paul Goldberger, Joseph Urban Professor of Deign at Parsons/The New School