H.H. Richardson's Beautiful but Incredibly Eerie Asylum...


So I normally do not post this many photos at one time but couldn't help myself (sorry). Last evening I was riding by bike past the H.H. Richardson Complex and the light hit the building(s) at just the right point that it quite literally stopped me in my tracks....the moon was already out and the clouds were incredible. These buildings, or more specifically, this complex is also known as the Buffalo Psychiatric Center and originally as the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane when it opened in 1880, are straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. While there is a newer part of the complex which still functions as a hospital, these buildings haven't been in use since the 1970's. It was late evening just before the sun set and it was intense on the stone buildings...it made it (to me) seem even more eerie (not to mention the entire area was devoid of people). I did meet one gentleman who was birding...there are peregrine falcons nesting in the towers and can actually be seen if you look close (they are visible in 3 of the photos, and one shows one flying between the towers). Anyhow, I rode my bicycle around the circumference of the complex trying to catch the light as it faded. I shot a few dozen photos but these are a few of my favorites that I thought I'd share. If you like night shots, here's a couple dramatic ones I took of the towers last autumn. Click any for a slightly larger view.

















Urban Simplicity.

Comments

Kim said…
You take such beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Joe George said…
Kim...thank you so much. Photography can be a sort of therapy for me. And I'm always glad when others enjoy it as well.