Unfortunatly, things began to go downhill for the Asylum, as it did for many around the country. As mental illness became better defined and understood, more and more people were sent for treatment though more space was not made available. The facility was intended to hold no more than 300 patients at any given time, by the 1930's more than 3,000 patients were crammed within the wings. Patients had to spend days outside because there was no room within, and sleep in the halls two and three deep. With the 1950's came advancements in psychotropic drugs that allowed many patients to live outside the Asylum, leading to a move toward deinstutionalization across the country. Places the Buffalo State Asylum became obselete, shutdown.

    Today the Buffalo State Asylum, now known as the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, stands as a monument to the good intentions of it's designers and a warning of what can become of a stagnant system. The very roofline, designed to look like a small town from the fields, is a testament to the care that went into providing a place for rest. The State of New York has taken stewardship of the building, stabalizing and refurbishing the grand building. Current plans are to use it as a teaching college, a fitting use for first teaching hospital in the country.