Touring Frank Lloyd Wright in Buffalo, New York
However, Buffalo’s greatest claim to architectural fame is the number of Frank Lloyd Wright designed structures. There are five houses in the city proper, one house (Graycliff) on the outskirts of the city, and one mausoleum. Since Buffalo’s Wright collection is not an overwhelming number, it is easy for a visitor to see and tour what the Queen City of the Great Lakes has to offer in one weekend.
The Wright structures are all around the city, but there is a way to set up your weekend so that you work your way around the city. Some of the houses are private residences and that will not allow you to see the insides of the homes. While each of the homes is quite different, each expresses elements of Wright’s signature prairie*** style. A car will be helpful in your tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Buffalo, but a bicycle could also suffice!
A visitor might want to start with the houses in North Buffalo. The Darwin Martin Complex (125 Jewett Parkway) is a great place to start and get the visitor excited for a Buffalo Wright tour. Before you come to Buffalo, be sure to check out the Darwin Martin Restoration Company’s web page (http://www.darwinmartinhouse.org/). A docent can be reserved to give visitors a tour of the complex. The complex was completed in 1904 for Darwin D. Martin, an executive for the Larkin Soap Company, and consists not only of Martin house, but of several structures. Darwin Martin commissioned Wright to build him a house, a house for his sister, and many other structures on the property. The Martin Complex was Wright’s most extensive prairie house project. Regrettably, the pergola, conservatory, and carriage house were demolished in 1960, when public perception of Wright’s work was at its nadir. However, in the 1990s, there was public outcry to save this complex and restore it to its original grandeur. In 2002, the State University of New York (who owned the property at the time), sold it to the Martin Restoration Corporation and work began. The restoration is so authentic, it took years for the Restoration Corporation to find brick makers to make the bricks for the rebuilding of the pergola. The complex is in its final stages of restoration and tours are available.
Originally, an integral part of the Martin Complex, the Gardener’s Cottage (285 Woodward) is now a private residence. The original resident of this home was Reuben Polder, the Martin’s gardener. One of Polder’s daily tasks was to put fresh cut flowers in every room of the house, which he did until Martin died in 1935. One of the interesting features of the gardener’s cottage is the built-in window planter boxes. The structure is a small scale prairie style house. Be sure not to miss this lovely little house, which is surrounded by greenery.
After spending a few hours exploring Wright in North Buffalo, it is time to finish your day touring Wright in the city by driving over to Buffalo’s West Side. There are a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright stops on this side of the city before you end your first day with dinner.
The next stop is Buffalo’s newest Frank Lloyd Wright structure – the Blue Sky Mausoleum (http://www.blueskymausoleum.com) – in Buffalo’s exquisite Victorian cemetery, Forest Lawn. The mausoleum was commissioned by Wright’s most loyal customer, Darwin D. Martin, but never built. Forest Lawn (in conjunction with a Wright-trained architect) began work to build this structure in the cemetery it was intended for. Finished in September 2004, this is definitely the coolest mausoleum you’ll ever visit. First, it overlooks a peaceful small pond in the cemetery. It is built into the side of a hill and consists of twenty-four crypts, laid out like a staircase with two sets of twelve crypts running parallel up the hill. At the top of the hill there are benches on which to sit and enjoy the beauty of the foliage and Wright’s organic design.
The William Heath House (76 Soldiers Circle) is located off the Elmwood Strip at the corner of Bird Avenue. This massive house overlooks the Circle, where Chapin, Lincoln, and Bidwell Parkways intersect. The Parkways and park system were designed at the turn of the Twentieth Century by esteemed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of New York City’s Central Park. Built for another Larkin Soap Company executive, William Heath, in 1905, the house is a private residence, so visiting this property is limited to seeing only the outside of the structure. The outside of the house, though, is a treat. The front of the house is set back from the circle’s road, looking grandly over the grass on the circle. The side of the house sits right next to the sidewalk on Bird Avenue, which makes it even more imposing to the pedestrian walking past.
After your day in the city touring the city’s Wright works, you can end it at one of the city’s best restaurants, Left Bank (511 Rhode Island, near Richmond Avenue), which advertises itself “a 21st Century American bistro in a 19th Century building.” It is a good idea to make reservations before going to the restaurant, as it is quite popular. The bar is very casual and offers an excellent selection of wine. Patrons can order appetizers (from “Bourgeois fare” to “Peasant fare”) at the bar while waiting for a table at this very busy restaurant. Visit their web site for more information (http://www.leftbankrestaurant.com)
On Sunday, be sure to visit Graycliff, Darwin D. Martin’s summer estate (6472 Old Lake Shore Road, in Derby). Their web site, http://graycliff.bfn.org, offers much information on this prestigious estate, including a calendar of events. Throughout September 2005, for example, every Sunday they offer “Sunday in the Country,” which includes brunch at East Aurora’s famous Roycroft Inn. You then board an old-fashioned trolley for a trip to Graycliff, returning you to East Aurora at 3:30 pm.
The 6500 square foot Graycliff is quite amazing. It was built between 1926 and 1927 on a cliff 70 feet above Lake Erie and is significant in Wright’s history. The house contains elements of both his prairie design as well as his concrete designs (like Fallingwater). According to the Graycliff web page, “Graycliff is a testament to Wright’s thirty-three year relationship with the Martin family,” establishing the Martin’s complete loyalty to the eccentric architect. The Graycliff Conservancy is in the process of renovating this architecturally significant estate. Visitors are encouraged to peruse their web site to look at photos of before and after.
Unfortunately, Buffalo, like many older cities, has lost some architectural gems in the name of urban renewal. One example of this is Frank Lloyd Wright’s first office building, the Larkin Administration Building. In the mid-twentieth century, city planners and developers did not appreciate Wright’s designs, and many houses and buildings designed by the great architect were knocked down to be replaced by apartment buildings and sometimes parking lots. Buffalo lost the Larkin Building, in 1951. Visitors to Buffalo can see the site where this grand building once stood at 680 Seneca Street. The only remaining trace of this lost building is its original cornerstone, which is accompanied by an interpretive marker. These can be found next to the parking lot that was built on the site of the Larkin Building.
Even with what Buffalo has lost, there is much left and much to be gained from mistakes made in the past. Visit Buffalo to see its contributions to Twentieth Century architecture. You will want to come back someday for more!
