Saturday morning dawned cold and snowy for our date - yes, a real date - to the Darwin Martin house in Buffalo. This is a home that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for Darwin Martin, an executive of the Larkin Company (manufactured soap and sold it through mail order) in Buffalo. The home was actually a complex of five buildings designed by Wright and constructed in the 1903 - 1905 time frame. It's regarded by scholars as one of the finest examples of Wright's residential work and exemplifies the Prarie Style.
Following a reversal of fortune for Mr. Martin, the home was abandoned and laid empty for years. The house suffered the effects of neglect and modifications from subsequent owners; parts of the complex were torn down in the 1960's due to safety concerns.
Using Wright's original blueprints and numerous letters documenting various aspects of the project, along with photographs Mr. Martin took during the original construction process, the main house is being restored to its original glory circa 1907. Although it's still under construction, you can tell that it's going to be wonderful. The carriage house with attached atrium and pergola have been rebuilt and look wonderful. Interestingly, the house doesn't feel huge - in fact, the bedrooms are modest by today's standards and closets and bathrooms are downright miniscule.
Our private tour lasted about an hour and was well worth the time and entrance fee (although Mark probably knew more about Wright than the docent). This architectural gem is located at 125 Jewett Parkway in a beautiful residential area near the Buffalo zoo. It was a definite thumbs up - and a great date idea.
What I liked best:
1. Being with Mark (of course!).
2. Seeing in person some of the handiwork of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.
3. Knowing that even great artists sometime have bloopers. (Wright designed a dining room table that was destined to fail - it seated 4 people and had these really funky urns at each corner and each urn was surrounded by 4 lamps - making it impossible to see anyone seated next to you. Wright also designed 3-legged chairs for the dining room table. Mrs. Martin put her foot down and just said, "no." Smart lady.)
4. The wisteria design around the massive fireplace in the entry hall and living room. OK, we just saw the design for the wisteria, and a photo of how it looked in 1907, but when it's done, it's going to be incredible. Wright also instructed that wisteria should be planted around the grounds.
For more info, see www. darwinmartinhouse.org.
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