Buffalo State Asylum (Richardson Olmsted Campus)

H.H. Richardson's 1870s Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane, a National Historic Landmark with grounds by Frederick Law Olmsted, sat derelict for decades after patient wards closed in 1974. The twin-towered central buildings reopened in 2017 as a hotel and event space (now the Richardson Hotel), and the campus grounds are open to the public, with docent-led tours that include stabilized unrestored sections. Several flanking wings remain vacant, mothballed shells awaiting future phases — visible up close legally, but sealed against entry and still hazardous inside. Take the official tour; it's one of the best asylum interiors you can see lawfully in the U.S.