The 8 Best Historic Sites in Buffalo, New York (NY)

The Martin House (Buffalo, NY, 1903-05) exemplifies Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie House ideal and ranks as one of his finest residential works. Designed for Larkin Soap Company executive, Darwin D. Martin, the multi-residential estate is a one-of-a-kind composition consisting of the main Martin House, the smaller Barton House, a carriage house with chauffeur’s quarters and stables, a glass-roofed conservatory linked to the main house by a 100-foot pergola, and a gardener’s cottage. Tours explore the restored and reconstructed buildings, surrounding landscape, and an extensive collection of art glass and furnishings, all designed by Wright, which together form a totally integrated architectural masterwork. We welcome you to this National Historic Landmark.

One of Buffalo’s most iconic buildings and a National Historic Landmark, the 145-year-old Richardson Olmsted Campus is being renewed after years of neglect. Designed by great American architect Henry Hobson Richardson and the famed landscape team of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the building incorporated a system of enlightened treatment for people with mental illness developed by Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride. Today, the Richardson Olmsted Campus is home to one of the largest historic preservation projects in the nation. Since 2006, the nonprofit Richardson has been hard at work bringing the site back to life after decades of neglect.

Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated as President of the United States in 1901 in Buffalo, NY, after the assassination of President William McKinley. Exhibits focus on the assassination and inauguration, details of Roosevelt's life and consequential issues of the day no less important to citizens more than a century later. Visitors can also tour nearby historic neighborhoods.

Buffalo Central Terminal hosts a series of events and tours throughout the summer months. Plan your trip to see us by visiting our website for a full list of upcoming events, tours, and other information.The Buffalo Central Terminal opened to the public on June 22, 1929. Built by the New York Central Railroad and designed by architects Alfred T. Fellheimer & Steward Wagner, the art deco style station was built to accommodate up to 3200 passengers per hour, or 200 trains per day. The complex consists of the main concourse, a 17 story office tower, a four story baggage building and two story mail building along Curtiss Street, and the now detached train concourse. The complex sits on a 17 acre site 2.5 miles east of downtown Buffalo.The Central Terminal Restoration Corporation (CTRC) was founded in 1997 to oversee the stabilization and restoration of the Central Terminal. Local preservationist Scott Field acquired the 18-acre site, including concourse, tower, and four story baggage building along Curtiss Street, from Samuel Tuchman and B.C.T Inc. for $1 plus the assumption of back taxes owed to the City of Buffalo.The CTRC is an entirely volunteer organization with no paid staff. We rely on grant money, government funds, and donations to continue work on the building and to hold public events. We are a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation.