All Wright, All Day

Wright Day ALL ALL

Discovering Frank Lloyd Wright’s Buffalo in one inspiring day

BY SAMANTHA WULFF

Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the world’s most famous architects. Most people can identify his famous stained glass. (It’s no secret he loved nature.) Most can spot one of his houses from a mile away. But what’s his story in Buffalo? Why are there so many of his houses here? I decided to find out, and the most convenient way was on an All Wright All Day tour – one that included visits to five Wright-designed buildings and several other sites. I was glad I didn’t skip my morning coffee, since the tour started at 8:30 a.m. sharp at the Margaret L. Wendt Resource Center at Forest Lawn Cemetery. From there, we hopped on a bus, and within five minutes we were at the Martin House Complex, once the home of Darwin and Isabelle Martin. Situated on a 1.5-acre plot within the beautiful Parkside district in North Buffalo, the horizontal lines of the Martin House stand in stark contrast to the surrounding Victorian architecture that typified this turn-ofthe-century neighborhood. Once inside, I immediately “got it.” After taking in the five miles of interior wood trim, the sunburst fireplace, Tree of Life stained glass windows and the statue of Nike of Samothrace within the conservatory, I could understand why Wright considered the Martin House his “opus” and kept a copy of its plans above his drafting table for the rest of his career. It’s that impressive.

Next, we took a trip to nearly-neverbuilt Wright buildings at the Fontana Boathouse and the Filling Station. The boathouse was designed in 1905 for a site in Madison, Wisconsin. It wasn’t constructed until 2007, right on Buffalo’s Black Rock Canal and is now home to the West Side Rowing Club. Standing on the balcony, overlooking the water, with a view of the historic Peace Bridge, I couldn’t help but feel like we were on a ship ourselves. Soon we were at the Buffalo Transportation Pierce Arrow Museum to see the Filling Station,

built 86 years after Wright drew up its plan. Looking around, I couldn’t help but think, “Can you imagine a world in which gas stations were works of art?”

From there, we enjoyed lunch at Chef’s Restaurant before embarking on the half-hour trip to the Graycliff Estate, built in 1931 as a summer retreat for the Martin Family. Graycliff is the yin to the Martin House’s yang, a country house of more modest ambitions than the family’s city estate. As we approached, the large glass doors provided a view straight through the house to the waters of Lake Erie, the Canadian shore visible in the distance.

A fitting end to our day’s journey, we returned to Forest Lawn to “meet” Darwin Martin, whose grave features a Wright-inspired gravestone. Forest Lawn is also home to Wright’s Blue Sky Mausoleum, which was built in 2004 according to his 1928 plan. Anything but traditional, Blue Sky is completely open and completely different from the monuments it’s surrounded by.

As I walked the steps of the mausoleum, I reflected on our journey. One day, one architect, one city. But unparalleled beauty and infinite stories.

There are 11 All Wright All Day tours scheduled in 2020, beginning in May and ending in October. For more information visit martinhouse.org

When Tom Roberts leads tours through Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House Complex, the memories of his childhood hijinks more than 60 years ago often come flooding back.

Roberts, 74, has been a docent at the National Historic Landmark for nearly 25 years, starting at a time when the restoration of Wright’s Prairie-style masterwork was in its infancy. But his Martin House memories date back decades earlier to the 1950s, when his daily walk to St. Mark’s Elementary School took him past the property. DREW BROWN

The Martin family had abandoned the complex more than 15 years earlier, and the house and surrounding property were “overgrown, neglected and vacant,” Roberts said. But even in its deteriorated state, the complex fascinated the young Roberts.

“I always had a physical response to it. It just drew your attention, sort of like a magnet,” Roberts said. “I thought it was a real monumental building that stuck out in the neighborhood. It was unlike anything else. It was mysterious.”

Roberts remembers the intricate woodwork in the upstairs apartment in the carriage house, and the missing windows where Wright’s signature art glass once was. But he and his friends never lingered long there. To avoid getting caught, they’d sometimes jump through a second-floor window and climb down a tree.

“We had to keep it low key so we wouldn’t attract attention,” Roberts said. “Sometimes we’d run through and keep moving to make sure we weren’t stopped. I remember vividly being up there and someone coming after us.”

Decades later, Roberts and his wife, Mary, became Martin House Restoration Corporation volunteers. Mary eventually worked her way up to become the complex’s current executive director, while Tom, a retired attorney, is one of its longest-serving docents. Last summer, the Martin House finished its quartercentury, $52 million restoration project, one of the most ambitious of its kind in the United States.

“It’s a lot more fun entering the property now than when I was 10,” Roberts said. “It’s amazing that it got restored.” – BRIAN HAYDEN

ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST REMARKABLE MUSEUMS DOESN’T HAVE A ROOF.

American architecture and BUFFALO grew up together. That’s why the city is home to an unrivaled variety of remarkable buildings and public spaces. The intricate ornament of Louis Sullivan’s Guaranty Building, the elegant Art Deco energy of John J. Wade’s Buffalo City Hall, the grand residential commission that vaulted Frank Lloyd Wright to international fame, Eero and Eliel Saarinen’s stunning concert hall — they all stand together within Frederick Law Olmsted’s astonishing system of parks and parkways.

It’s a city that treasures its past even as it looks toward a bright future, and for people who love American architecture, it’s a museum without roof or walls. It’s a place that will surprise you and one you won’t soon forget.

visitbuffaloniagara.com/architecture

LOUIS SULLIVAN’S GUARANTY BUILDING

martinhouse.org | 716-856-3858

ONE ARCHITECT. ONE FAMILY. TWO HOUSES.

Experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision in Buffalo through the Martin family’s city and summer homes, both recently restored. Combination tours available.

#WRIGHTINBUFFALO

experiencegraycliff.org | 716-947-9217