A look inside the Richardson Complex

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - It's been towering over Buffalo for more than a century. The Richardson Complex has been at the center of a preservation project for many years and now we're getting an inside look.

The mystical and magical arches of the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, H.H. Richardson's magnificent complex, for many, served as the center piece for this national preservation tour.

Jane Marx, who is visiting from NYC, said, "I have never ever seen anything that has taken my breath away like this, because it has a sense of history, a sense of foreboding, and a simultaneous sense of kindness."

The building is considered one of Richardson's key transformational buildings in the development of his style. It was called "Richardsonian Romanesque." Ev Janish had a special connection to this place.

"I'm in awe. I really am. My grandmother was a patient here during the 50's and the 60's," said Janish.

Her grandmother had gone through all the treatments in the building, she said, but her grandchildren were not permitted by the family to see her. For Janish, seeing the building was a very personal experience.

Finding the $76 million to save the complex means a lot to these preservationists.

Dennis Lieb, who came to the conference from Easton, PA, said, "It's just amazing, and you're never going to see anything like this built again, so you save like this, you're really doing a service to society."

While the architectural integrity of the Richardson Complex will remain intact, its uses will soon change to include a boutique hotel, conference center and architectural museum. That's about three years away. But the plan is already giving Buffalo national recognition and reinforcing something we probably already know.

Richardson Center board member Eva Hassett said, "Which is that we're a great city with amazing people and a lot of creativity. And I think we're going to get reinforced on that and that can only help going forward."

The last patients left the Richardson Complex in 1974. 40 years later in 2014, there will be new life in the building.