Memorandum Monday

It’s been a few weeks since I could truly say I’d done something new over the weekend. But this weekend, friends of ours met us in Buffalo, NY to visit and tour the Darwin Martin House, one of Frank Lloyd Wrights early architectural projects. Darwin Martin was an executive in Buffalo at the turn of the century and hired Frank Lloyd Wright to design a home for his family. It’s a beautiful place, with several buildings on over an acre of land. Over time, the foundation has restored much of the home, but the work is still ongoing. Much of the interior of the main house is still under restoration, and next summer they are planning to install all the gardens that were originally part of the plan. Wright was also the landscape architect. 

This is a view of the main house, part of the pergola which connects the main house to a beautiful conservatory, and the covered porch on the left. The pergola and conservatory were dismantled by subsequent owners in the 1950’s and part of the property was sold off. An apartment building was constructed across the back of the property. In the early 1990’s a corporation was formed to restore the house which had sat empty for many years. Shortly thereafter, the apartment building went up for sale, and was purchased by the foundation. The apartment building was taken down, and the pergola and the conservatory as well as the stables have been reconstructed using Wright’s detailed plans. They have done a remarkable job, as I would have been unaware that they were relatively new constructions.

Here’s the view of the pergola from the other side. I didn’t get a photo of the conservatory, and no photos inside the complex are allowed.

A closer view that lets you see the remarkable detail and many angles that reflect Wright’s prairie style. The house and most of the complex were originally built between 1903 and 1905. 

In addition to the main house, the pergola, the conservatory, and the stables two other buildings are on the property. A much smaller home that was built for Darwin Martin’s sister and her family and the house above, which was the gardener’s cottage, built in 1909. Neither Martin nor his wife came from wealthy families. Martin made his fortune as an executive with the Larkin Company. The Martin’s treated their help more as members of the family than servants. One of the chauffeur’s daughters was married in their home.

Wright is known for his beautiful windows. These are the windows in the gardener’s cottage. I’ll count these as #12 in Rinda’s Summertime Scavenger Hunt–a window.

Another view of the windows, and finally, another gorgeous window near the front door of the main house. The windows in each of the buildings are a different design, but consistent throughout that building.

We had a wonderful docent for our 90 minute tour, and we all agreed we’d like to return in two years to see the completed restoration of the interior as well as the extensive gardens that were part of the original plan. 

After our tour and lunch at a lovely little restaurant nearby, our friends drove on to Michigan to visit their daughter. Tracy and I decided to go to Buffalo’s newly restored Outer Harbor and Canalside.  I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. It’s a lovely parklike area, but there isn’t much to do there unless you’re interested in military history, water parks, or fast food. 

We did walk along the river and I got a couple photos, and one more photo for the scavenger hunt (alternative #1), a lighthouse. (I expect to find a better example for this one in August when we’re on vacation.)

Waving to Sian and other friends who are posting for Memorandum Monday!