Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House Complex (1903-1905) preserves, interprets and promotes a world class, masterpiece built for Wright's significant patron and friend; it is located in Buffalo, New York - a city of recognized architectural treasures. This RU-vid channel features multimedia resources on the unprecedented restoration and partial reconstruction of this National Historic Landmark, as well as additional video - both contemporary and historic - on Frank Lloyd Wright and architecture in general.
Visited the Martin House & the Gardner’s Cottage (my favourite)…the art glass is spectacular..seen many of FLW’s designed homes..Graycliff a second time & Fallingwater…each one unique in it’s own way
I have toured the Martin House & also the Boathouse in Buffalo & Greycliff…also Taliesin West & Fallingwater…all are great examples of FLW’s architecture…his prairie style is very appealing
My first trip to the Darwin Martin House was in 1976. My second in 1980. I visited it for the third time in 2003. The house was a revelation even in its state of disrepair in the 1976. The progress in restoring it extraordinary. I need to visit it again to see the reconstructed pergola, conservatory, carriage house and mosaic covered fireplace.
I made the trip in sept 22' and can't wait to see Buffalo again ! the first tour was the Martin house and then The Pierce arrow museum , then drive-by's of all the homes he designed in the area including "Graycliff" the next day. the falls should not be missed BUT it was the last visit for me due to the crowds. Buffalo is Beautiful !
Of the approximately 55 pieces of original Wright-designed furniture pieces, we have approx 35 in our collection. We have recreated some of the pieces, and not all are on display to make it easier for visitors to move through the house. Also, some of the originals belong in museum and private collections.
My neighbor lived in the Barton house as a teenager in the 50's. She described the surrounding property as still there but abandoned and well on its way to being run down at the time. One of her sisters had a 'club house' in the basement of the Barton house and the 'big scary statue' in the conservatory.
This has always been one of my all time favorite Wright house. It is a shame it was ever allowed to get into a deteriorate stat.e in the first place. If I ever came to Buffalo it would be to see this house, the falls would be a distend second.
Hmm, I never knew there were volunteers that worked there. Are these people retired architects, tradesmen, etc? How does someone find information about volunteering? Thank you to the volunteers!
My apologies for the delay in responding. Our volunteers have a variety of skills and experience, so no need to have a specific background! We have close to 400 volunteers, and they serve in countless ways - some public facing and some behind-the-scenes. If you're interested, contact us at volunteer@martinhouse.org to get the conversation started. More info here > martinhouse.org/support/volunteer/
Thanks from Wright fans all over the world! We were lucky to be able to visit the Martin House and Graycliff a few years ago. Both so impressive. Greetings from Amsterdam.
The color photo of the building being demolished by the steam shovel is not part of the Wright original. The owner of the complex, Sebastian Tauriello (an architect no less!!!) sometime in the 1950s tore out the pergola, conservatory and garage. In its place he built several undistinguished apartment buildings to generate income to save the main house. After the Martin complex was taken over by the State, those interloping buildings were removed, making way for the rebuilding of the lost pergola, conservatory and garage. That demolition is the photo shown here. The pergola conservatory and garage we see today are in fact new construction.
Sounds like a great road trip. I’ve seen all of those places years ago but it would be fun to see them again. An office in Erie? Did Frank ever have an office in Erie?
The Hagen History Center in Erie, PA has just opened a new permanent exhibit which features Wright's San Francisco office. The architect use the office when he tended to Bay Area projects from 1951 until 1959. Visit this link for more info > franklloydwright.org/celebrating-frank-lloyd-wrights-birthday-in-style-in-erie-pennsylvania/
Maybe me, but every Wright fire place I've ever seen looks like a nightmare to keep clean and more so due to their central location. That would be if you actually used it. I guess with Wrights clients it was the help that had to deal with it.
3D Printing each piece after the hard work has been done once? I actually don’t know if there are 3D printers that cut wood? I’d imagine there are. I’m behind the times. Just thinking as a non-skilled wood worker myself. Great work I envy anyone that is so good at creating from wood.
3D printers don’t actually cut wood, they use filament, whether plastic or metal, to build an object. It’s used as additive construction, not the subtractive construction he was describing. It works like an etch-a-sketch in that it moves in an X and Y plane and some variables in between to get curves. It shoots out the filament layer by layer, so it takes some time to construct something, depending on how complicated the shape is.
No. It was FLW's favorite statue which he had outside his own home in Oak Park. The behemoth at Jewett Pkwy was made in Boston, MA, first in plaster and then more recently it was recreated in resin.
Wow! That certainly wasn’t in Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision! Are there before and after pictures? I enjoy rewatching the PBS show Frank Lloyd Wright’s Buffalo. I don’t remember when it first aired but I was glad to see that it’s still available for viewing. Is that a sprinkler system I see with the orange fittings? It’s been a few years since my last visit so I can’t wait to come back.
We do have many photos taken during the different phases of restoration and will begin to share on our social media channels. And yes, there are sprinkler systems in the mechanical spaces of the lower level. Thanks for watching!
I talked to an electrician that said he worked in the basement of the Martin House. This certainly doesn’t look like what he was explaining to me. He described a network of conduits. Is that under the floor? Is there yet another level under that level? It would be cool to see pictures of the restoration.
This video doesn't show the entire lower level. We are working on some new videos to show some of the mechanicals over the next few months so stay tuned!
It’s nice to see at least one house got a basement out of Frank Loyd Wright. He designed wonderful, beautiful things, but no basements and no garages are “no go “in my book. Sorry, Frank.
Yes, casts of Nike of various scales were a favorite of Wright for his architectural interiors. He placed Nike casts in his own home and studio in Oak Park, IL and the Larkin building -among others.
