Richardson Olmsted Complex

Widely considered to be one of Buffalo’s most important and beautiful buildings, the Richardson Olmsted Complex (ROC) (the former Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane) is a National Historic Landmark. For decades, H.H. Richardson’s largest built work sat abandoned and in jeopardy of weathering past the point of repair. In 2006, a grant was provided by Governor George Pataki of $76M to adaptively reuse the complex as a hospitality venue and cultural amenity for the city, under the direction of the Richardson Center Corporation.

The rehabilitation of the H.H. Richardson-designed buildings and Frederick Law Olmsted designed grounds is the crowning jewel of a mixed-use, multi-purpose civic campus of public and private activities, including a new cultural institution, the Buffalo Architecture Center. Kelly has served on the Board of Directors for both the Richardson Center Corporation and the Buffalo Architecture Center since 2009 and has been an active member of both boards since, leading or participating in the most important components of the project.

South Lawn Landscape Design & Circulation Design Project

The first project of the restoration of the ROC was the rehabilitation of the South Lawn from a parking lot to Olmsted’s front lawn for the complex. The board needed an experienced design professional to lead this project. As Chair of the project committee, Kelly was responsible for managing the consultant selection process and providing the oversight of the work of Andropogon Associates, the landscape architectural fi rm responsible for the design of the $5M South Lawn Landscape Design & Circulation Design Project.

Richardson Olmsted Complex Rehabilitation and North Landscape Project

Kelly serves on the Project Committee, responsible for oversight of the work of Deborah Berke & Associates, Goody Clancy and Flynn Battaglia Architects, the architectural consultant of the $69M Richardson Olmsted Center Rehabilitation and North Landscape Project, which is scheduled to open in Fall 2016. Th e hotel, conference center and Buff alo Architecture Center are at the heart of the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the Richardson Olmsted Complex and are expected to play a vital role in Western New York’s attraction as a cultural tourism destination. All three venues will occupy the iconic Towers Building and its two fl anking structures.

AIA Buffalo/WNY Diversity Committee

Kelly has been a member of the AIA Buffalo/WNY Diversity Committee since it was founded in 2016. Kelly served on the planning committee for the “Diversity Breeds Success: A Discussion with Payette, AIA National’s 2019 Firm of the Year.” This symposium focused on the value of diversity in strengthening a firm’s practice and culture. October 8, 2019.

Beverly Willis Architectural Foundation

The Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF) is a national research and educational foundation working to change the culture of the building industry. Board of Advisors: 2014-Present. The Collection of Women of 20th-Century American Architecture Kelly wrote the biography of Louise Bethune, FAIA on the BWAF 20th Century American Architecture website, an online encyclopedia.

• Building on the Past: A History of Women in Architecture, Despina Stratigakos, PhD, April 24, 2014.

• 100 Years – Remembering Louise Bethune, January 24, 2014.

• Kelly Hayes McAlonie Makes a Place, January 22, 2014.

• Building Talent, symposium that Kelly planned with the UB Gender Institute, November 25, 2013.

• A Challenge Shared by Louise Bethune and Architect Barbie, November 25, 2013.

University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning

• Member, Search Committee for Dean of University at Buffalo School of Architecture & Planning The search resulted in the appointment of Robert Shibley, FAIA, as the new Dean. 2010.

• Bethune Lecture Series Kelly worked with Dean Brian Carter to create the Bethune Lecture Series as part of the UB School of Architecture and Planning lecture series, which is sponsored by AIA Buffalo/WNY and features a leading woman architect. Guest lecturers have included Sarah Whiting, Meejin Yoon, Billie Tsien, Jeanne Gang, Maryann Thompson, Graft on Architects and Sheila Kennedy. 2007-Present.

• Guest Critic 2012-Present

• Adjunct Professor:

  • Independent Study (2 students per semester): 2014-2016

  • Pedagogy & Design ARC 625, Spring 2021

University at Buffalo Institute for Research & Education on Women & Gender

A university-wide research center, the Institute for Research & Education on Women & Gender, supports and promotes research and teaching related to women, gender, and sexuality. Kelly has served on the Executive Committee since 2014. Symposia Kelly has planned:

• She Persists: Women Innovators in Buffalo, Then and Now. September 26, 2017.

• Wonder Women and Supermen. September 25, 2015.

• Suiting Up: Managing the Aesthetics of Difference. April 4, 2014.

• Building Talent: Women, Patronage and Mentoring. October 22, 2013.