New York Construction Report staff writer
The Lipsey Architecture Center Buffalo (LACB) has revealed plans for a new glass addition designed by Höweler + Yoon at the Richardson Olmsted Campus — a National Historic Landmark that once served as the Buffalo State Hospital.
The project team includes Hadley Exhibits, Buffalo Construction Consultants, Cannon Design, Fisher Associates, R.E. Kelly, J.A. Gulick Window Company, and Weaver Metal & Roofing. Together, they aim to transform the former hospital outbuilding into a modern cultural destination that bridges Buffalo’s historic and contemporary design legacies.
The new facility will repurpose one of the landmark campus’s existing structures, blending historic preservation with modern design and broadening the Center’s focus to include interactive exhibits on city planning, building, and preservation efforts.
“The LACB’s new home not only involves saving and reusing another historic structure on the campus, but, more importantly, represents an investment in the community,” said Paris Roselli, executive director of the LACB. “It expands the scope of the Center’s mission to highlight one of the greatest collections of period architecture in the country.”
Designed by Boston-based architecture firm Höweler + Yoon, the building will feature a distinctive curving glass façade. According to founding principal Eric Höweler, the 18-foot scalloped glass panels will create a “mirage-like” effect that contrasts and complements the masonry of H.H. Richardson’s iconic architecture.
“The new LACB will feel very much at one with other recent additions to Buffalo’s Museum District,” Roselli added. “By showcasing the many architectural treasures we’ve inherited from past generations, the Center will serve as a powerful driver for cultural tourism and the associated economic benefits by bringing visitors to Western New York from all over the world.”
Founded in 2007, the LACB was established through a lead gift from the late Stanford Lipsey, former publisher of The Buffalo News, and his wife, Judi Lipsey, who now chairs the Center’s board. Additional funding has come from private donors, foundations, and public and private grants.
Reflecting on her late husband’s vision, Judi Lipsey expressed her enthusiasm for the project.
“My excitement over the LACB’s new home on the Richardson Olmsted Campus is even greater when I think about how proud Stan would have been to see his dream come to life,” she said.
A groundbreaking is expected to be announced this spring.
