Alumnae Help 'EnLIGHTen' Richardson Olmsted Campus

Buffalo State alumnae Erin Habes,’03, and Christine Krolewicz,’11, are part of a unique light show that will turn the Richardson Olmsted Complex’s historic towers into a canvas. Called EnLIGHTen, the show will accompany a free performance by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra on the complex’s south lawn beginning at 9:00 p.m. on Friday, July 28.

Krolewicz is the project manager of the Richardson Olmsted campus. Habes, who also teaches in the college’s Fashion and Textile Technology Department, serves as project manager for the artistic team that put the show together.

Both Krolewicz and Habes were quoted in a WIVB-TV story about EnLIGHTen.

Considered one of Buffalo’s most iconic architectural masterpieces, the Richardson Olmsted Complex was designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson with the landscape team of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Opened in 1896 as the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane – later the Buffalo Psychiatric Center – the building was designated a national landmark in 1986.

In April 2017 the complex found new life with the creation of Hotel Henry Urban Resort and Conference Center and the adjoining 100 Acres: The Kitchens at Hotel Henry. Eugene and Diana Principe, adjuncts within the Hospitality and Tourism Department, are the hotel and restaurant owners.

“It’s been one of the biggest historical preservation projects in the nation at this point,” said Krolewicz.“So, I think it’s a great symbol for Buffalo’s whole renaissance."

“We hope people will walk away with a beautiful sense and appreciation for what we have here in Buffalo,” Habes added.