Located just two hours south of Toronto, Canada, where the Buffalo River meets Lake Erie, Buffalo, New York is a city with one of the most fascinating histories in North America.
It’s a place that has seen its share of turbulence. In the early 1900s, it was the 9th most populous city in the USA. It was also the wealthiest place in the United States, sitting as the home of more millionaires than anywhere else in the country. And it’s because of this wealth that some of the great architects of the time contributed significantly to the region.
Lucky for us, unlike some other cities in the States which also had periods of downturn, so much of the history – and incredible architecture – remains in place. Mind you, this wasn’t out of any initial will of preservation – this came later – but the city fell too broke to even knock the buildings down. And how thankful we are in 2025 because of this.
Given what I experienced while I was there last year, the city is ultimately a tale of good fortune, even if it comes with eras of financial ruin. And this is what the city celebrates today – an illustrious past, as it looks forward to the city it wants to be.
For any fans of architecture, Buffalo is one of America’s true hidden gems. If this applies to you, read on for 10 places you should visit in this Canadian border city.
HOTEL RICHARDSON
Formerly known as Hotel Henry, which I reviewed in 2019, Hotel Richardson sits on the site of a former insane asylum that dates back to the 1870s.
The hotel’s name (both former and current) is taken from its architect – Henry Hobson Richardson. This sits as a nod to the importance of the building’s groundbreaking architectural style, which itself is named after the architect, “Richardsonian Romanesque”.
Inspired by the Ancient Romans, but told to be bursting with Richardson’s own eclectic flair, the complex was the first to utilise elements of this style, which went on to influence a generation of architects. The exterior is striking with a castle-like splendour, Medina red sandstone, exposed brick and copper roofs – having beautifully greened with age. The interiors are best described as tall. Rooms feature untouchable ceilings, at roughly six metres high, with massive four metre tall windows. There’s beautiful arches above the doorways and striking pylons that haven’t been hidden from view. They’ve done a magnificent job of adding modern comfort in with the history of the space.
The building sits as the centrepiece of the Richardson Olmsted Campus, which is only part way through its overhaul. And it’s no small feat. This is the largest historical preservation project in North America, with almost 500,000 square feet of campus still to develop. That includes the Lipsey Architecture Center, which was officially announced last month.
Many areas of the campus remain dilapidated following years of neglect. But there are ways to enjoy this (while it lasts). Tours are available during certain times of the year, including into the west side of the asylum which remains in the early stages of renovation. Some of this will end up being apartments, while other areas of the asylum will extend the current 88-room hotel into 120 rooms.
What a before and after this proves to be. Definitely take a trip around the campus if you get a chance. And a stay at the hotel is a must.
THE (UPDATED) ALBRIGHT-KNOX GALLERY
Not far from the campus you’ll find the Albright-Knox Gallery, which reopened in 2023 after a four year closure.
I visited the gallery back in 2019, right before they closed for renovation, when I saw one of their live music events featuring Death Cab For Cutie. And the additions are striking. A new building was constructed, with the museum doubling in size. They also changed the name of the space to the Buffalo AKG. We love an acronym!
Striking new pieces were added for the re-opening, such as “Common Sky” by iconic Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson.
Glass and mirrors transforms the space, in a piece that according to the AKG website is “both a work of art and a functional canopy that encloses the Buffalo AKG’s Town Square, situated between the 1905 Robert and Elisabeth Wilmers Building and the 1962 Seymour H. Knox Building.”
Better still, the Town Square is free for everyone to access, and also features a wonderful cafe called Cornelia, where we had a fantastic breakfast sandwich, as we gazed at the beautiful mosaic from Firelei Báez, a Dominican artist, that sits along the length of the wall in the comfortable space.
Elsewhere in the Town Square, you’ll also find a gift shop, and an interactive Lego installation.
But for all the additions, the heart of this complex is the original building, the 1905 Robert and Elisabeth Wilmers Building (fka as the Albright Art Gallery).
Designed by architect Edward B. Green, the Greek revival building featured 237 works at launch, and continues to feature a large percentage of their collection. Degas, Rodin, Picasso, Monet, Pissaro, Cezanne, Dali, Matisse, Khalo, Pollock, Warhol… you name them, and they’re at the AKG. It’s a stunning building, with a collection that you just wouldn’t expect to find in Buffalo.
For more details about the museum, head to their official website.
THE MARTIN HOUSE
Sadly, not every story on this list is one of architecture that had survived the century. One of the most famous examples is known as “The Martin House” (full name: The Darwin D. Martin House), pictured below and at the top of the article. The complex was originally designed and built by iconic architect Frank Lloyd Wright at the turn of the 20th Century. Sadly, the original complex fell into disrepair and a parts of it were knocked down.
But thankfully, there were a lot of people who wanted to see the site returned to its former glory. The Martin House Restoration Corporation (MHRC) was established in 1992 to restore the estate to its 1907 state. It would take them more than US$50 million and until 2019 for this vision to be completed. Thankfully, the space is now open for regular tours.
The 15,000 square foot house is the only part of the one and a half acre site, and it’s the only original part of the complex that remains. Everything else has been rebuilt to meet the original designs, and an additional welcome centre – The Eleanor and Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion- has been added, which is where you can meet up with your tour guide and learn more about the property. And as with most tours, you’ll exit through the gift shop – in the site of the former stables.
Across the tour, much was made of the fact that, as beautiful as the place was, there were a number of impracticalities to actually living in the place. The bed, for instance, wasn’t big enough to sleep in. But this was Frank Lloyd Wright’s passion project and he didn’t want anything to sit differently to his precise designs.
The result though is something truly special – a home unlike any other in North America, with clear influences from Asia, and more than 12,000 plants making this one of the most beautiful spaces in the city. Although we’re told there were more than 18,000 when it was built originally – but who’s counting?
To learn more about The Martin House, and to book a ticket for a tour, visit their official website.
WELCOME TO BABEVILLE
Another great example of a building that could have easily been destroyed, but were saved by passionate locals can be found in Babeville. In this case, that local was iconic artist (and Buffalo native) Ani DiFranco who bought the Delaware Asbury Methodist Church in 1999 with her manager Scot Fisher, saving it from demolition.
And now Buffalo has an incredible music venue, first known as “The Church”, and then renamed by DiFranco to “Babeville” in 2007. The actual venue within Babeville is called Asbury Hall; a renovated church which offers space for up to 1200 guests. The site also has a basement bar and venue called The 9th Ward, which can cater to up to 150 guests.
I was lucky enough to see Amyl and the Sniffers in Asbury Hall, performing to a sold out crowd last year while they were also playing supporting duties in the US to the likes of the Foo Fighters.
I enjoyed sitting up in the upstairs pews which offered a great view of the stage – you may just need to stand if you’re in the back row. And the sound was fantastic. But more than anything, this is a beautiful Gothic style building, designed and constructed between 1871 and 1874 by Buffalo-based architect John Selkirk, that we now get to enjoy for decades to come.
If there’s a gig on while you’re in Buffalo, be sure to check it out. You can see their upcoming shows on their official website.
SILO CITY
A different sort of architecture is on display in Silo City – an arts development set around the abandoned grain elevators from the early 1900s. This sits one of the many great examples of renewal that you’ll find throughout the city; giving new life into abandoned spaces. Spaces that help represent the industry of Buffalo’s past.
There’s a tonne of art around the sprawling spaces, a labyrinth of flowers, a soccer field (that a local team of mostly African immigrants play on), and so, so much more across the site’s 27 acres.
Performances in the silos themselves are also common. “Swannie” Jim Watkins was the caretaker of these six decommissioned grain elevators, long before they became the Silo City of today, putting on under the radar arts events in the space. Now he’s suitably the arts curator.
One of the most popular destinations at Silo City is Duende, a bar and restaurant made up entirely of repurposed materials. It opened up six or so years ago. While there, on a cloudy day, I watched a beautiful performance as part of their “Minuets & Mimosas” series.
They also have a cantina used for live events and soccer games, with an outdoor stage available for events.
For tours, and more details about Silo City, head to their official website.
THE GUARANTY BUILDING
Designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, and completed in 1896, the Prudential Building – now known as The Guaranty Building – was one of the early skyscrapers built in the region.
Though it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975, there was a fire just prior to this and there have been decades of work since to restore it to its former glory. It’s currently used as the law firm Hodgson Russ’s headquarters.
The details on the interior and exterior of this building are stunning. You’ll find the original mosaic floors, and stained glass windows on the ceilings. Guests are welcome to explore the ground floor, with the stair cases and elevators as remarkable as everything else in the building. You’ll find a small museum here as well.
There’s a wonderful piece about this building HERE, which shows off more of the intricate detail of this architectural marvel. How lucky we are that they not just kept this building, but restored it following fires and years of general neglect.
THE BUFFALO FILLING STATION
One of the best kept secrets in Buffalo, can be found inside the Pierce Arrow Museum.
Opening in 2001, the automotive museum looks at the history of the automotive industry of the region at the turn of the 20th century. This was led by the work of the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company and the Thomas Motor Company – the former who provides the namesake to the museum, and both who are represented in the space with the very vehicles they produced, alongside memorabilia and more. Famously, Pierce-Arrow designed the first ever Presidential car, in 1909, for President William Howard Taft, which you’ll see in the museum.
You’ll also see one of the 99 cars produced by the Playboy Motor Car Company, which – and I did not know this – was where Hugh Hefner got the name for the magazine. The more you know.
But what we are interested in here, is a gas station that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who wasn’t just hired in the region to build houses. Alongside his work on buildings like The Martin House, he also designed a gas station that was originally supposed to “revolutionise the way we filled our tanks”. But, while the designs were finished, the build never was. Until now…
In 2002, Pierce-Arrow Museum founder Jim Sandoro and architect Patrick Mahoney, traveled to Taliesin West in Scottsdale, AZ, where they found the drawings, and secured the rights to finally build the station for the museum. It makes for a unique find at any museum in the world: a Frank Lloyd Wright work that was built for the first time in the 2000s.
You can learn more about “The Buffalo Filling Station” HERE.
The museum is open from Thursday to Sunday between 11am and 4pm. Head HERE for more details on their official website.
THE 1825 SENECA CHIEF REPLICA
While this sits a little outside the box from the rest of this article, this project speaks volumes as to the care that Buffalo takes of their history.
Volunteers from the Buffalo Maritime Center on the city’s waterfront, have been hard at work building a replica of the original 1825 Seneca Chief canal boat that first sailed the Erie Canal between Buffalo and New York City.
I stepped foot inside it while they were building it, and while still very much a work in progress, this replica vessel is impressive to say the least. It will make a cross-canal journey beginning September 24, 2025, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal.
You can learn more about this project HERE.
BUFFALO HERITAGE CAROUSEL
Not far from where that boat is docked on the Buffalo Waterfront, you’ll also find the Buffalo Heritage Carousel. Celebrating its centenary last year, it’s in one of only five solar-powered carousels in the world, and sits in a weather protected building.
And as beautiful as this carousel is, it’s the sounds that I enjoyed the most. Listen out for the classic Wurlitzer Carousel Band Organ, built in nearby North Tonawanda, as you ride those animals. This carousel was locally made and restored. And best of all, rides are available by a minimum donation of just $1!
More details can be found HERE.
A HISTORIC VICTORIAN MANOR… AND THE REST
The historic architecture of Buffalo can be seen in just about every pocket of the city. While we were there, we were staying in Elwood Village, not too far from the Buffalo AKG.
The InnBuffalo was yet another example of the stunning architecture at the turn of the century – a 1898 Victorian manor that now operates as a boutique Bed & Breakfast.
You can read my full review and see more photos from inside this beautiful building HERE.
And this article is just the tip of the iceberg for the slew of historical buildings and incredible architecture that you’ll find find in the city.
Be sure to also look at the 1904 Hotel Lafayette, which was designed by Louise Blanchard Bethune – regarded as the first female architect in the US. Even Buffalo Central Terminal is a site to behold. You can see a list of more famous buildings in the area HERE.
Getting to Buffalo
It’s about a two hour drive from Toronto, Canada, to Buffalo New York. We jumped on a service from Flixbus. Flights are also available into the Buffalo Niagara Airport (BUF). Details on which airlines and routes currently cater to the airport can be found HERE. But most of the usual US carriers will find their way there, including Southwest, JetBlue, United, Delta, American Airlines and even Frontier.
All photos by the author unless otherwise credited. The trip to Buffalo was made possible thanks to the support of Visit Buffalo Niagara.
