The Olmsted Network is heading to Buffalo for Halloween!

On Wednesday, October 30, the Olmsted Network will welcome guests to Buffalo, NY, with a special dinner in the Glessner Room of The Richardson Hotel and a discussion about Olmsted’s Buffalo with Richardson Olmsted Campus President Paris Roselli and scholar and author Frank Kowsky.

On Thursday, October 31, we’ll enjoy a continental breakfast at the hotel before embarking on a sunrise tour of the former Buffalo State Asylum (Richardson Olmsted Campus), a psychiatric facility designed by friends and neighbors Henry Hobson Richardson and Frederick Law Olmsted. This in-depth tour— led by Roselli, Richardson Olmsted Campus Horticulturalist Nell Gardner and Historic Preservation Architect Clinton Brown— will highlight the campus’ historic buildings and grounds, its Olmsted trees and its Kirkbride plan. In the late morning, we’ll take a trolley tour of Forest Lawn Cemetery with Julie Snyder before enjoying a picnic lunch at The Parkside Lodge with the team at Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy. The afternoon will include a bus tour of the Olmsted park system with tour guide Lauren Becker, followed by a memorable buffet dinner at The Terrace on Delaware, which overlooks Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park.  

On Friday, November 1, we are offering an optional visit to Niagara Falls led by Mark Mistretta, Director, Niagara Region of the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. We’ll depart from the Richardson Olmsted Campus for a 30-minute trolley ride to the Niagara Falls USA Visitor’s Center. There, we’ll learn more about Olmsted, Vaux, and Niagara Falls and see the Cave of the Winds before returning to Buffalo around 1 pm ET. This tour will not include a visit to the Canadian side of the Falls.  


Ticket Information:  

Pop-Up Buffalo
$350 per person. Ticket includes:

  • Exclusive, local-guided tours of the Richardson Olmsted Campus, Olmsted’s Buffalo Park System, Forest Lawn Cemetery and Niagara Falls USA
  • Event transportation, including transport to/from Niagara Falls USA
  • A welcome dinner at The Richardson Hotel, a picnic lunch at The Parkside Lodge and another dinner at The Terrace in Delaware Park.

Thursday Tours & Lunch Only
$130 per person. Ticket includes:

  • Exclusive, local-guided tours of the Richardson Olmsted Campus, Olmsted’s Buffalo Park System and Forest Lawn Cemetery
  • A picnic lunch at The Parkside Lodge

Welcome Dinner Only
$75 per person. Ticket Includes:

  • Dinner in The Glessner Room of The Richardson Hotel
  • Presentations by experts, including author and scholar Francis “Frank” Kowsky and Richardson Olmsted Campus President Paris Roselli
  • The opportunity to network with Olmsted Network supporters from around the country

*Transportation to/from the event and hotel accommodations are not included.  


Travel Information:  
If you’re traveling from out of town or you’re a Buffalonian looking for a staycation, we recommend booking a room at The Richardson Hotel, which is part of the Richardson Olmsted Campus. This will be our base camp throughout the event. Check-in at The Richardson Hotel starts at 4 pm ET, and check-out is at 11 am ET.

Local or staying someplace else? No problem! Meet us at The Richardson Hotel for dinner on Wednesday and then first thing Thursday morning for our tour.

We can accommodate up to 30 people.


LA CES:  
The Olmsted Network is an LA CES-approved provider and will offer 5 credit hours to those participating in the conference. Attendees will be responsible for completing a learning outcomes survey in order to receive credit and a certificate.