This weekend I had the opportunity of adding another Frank Lloyd Wright home to my list of architectural pilgrimages. The Darwin Martin house in Buffalo, NY is regarded by some as one of his most influential works, second only to the iconic Fallingwater in southwest PA. While I wouldn’t call it as mind-blowing as the latter, it contains all the elements one would dream of in a prairie style Frank Lloyd Wright home. And although it is not fully restored (scheduled to be finished by Winter of 2011), there’s no question that it is in better shape than it’s sister home, Graycliff (a work in progress), which is also in Buffalo.
My favorite room in the complex had to be The Conservatory located at the end of the 100 foot-long Pergola. Once entered, I felt as though I was walking through a rainforest (minus the humidity), completely enveloped in a Japanese-style hallway corridor full of vivacious greenery. Frank Lloyd Wright has a way of manipulating space and building in elements that nearly force his audience to feel what’s important. In Kentuck Knob it was using only 30 & 60 degree angles so you’d “move” with the furniture and walls throughout the house. In the Darwin Martin house it was the focal point of The Conservatory: at the end stood a plastered cast of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, a sculpture of the headless Greek goddess, Nike.* Check out this really well done interactive image to get a sense of the area.
The element I found most impressive was the over 400 art glass windows in the complex which were comprised of over 750 individual pieces of iridescent glass to act as light screens. An absolutely stunning detail that screams Frank Lloyd Wright.
Looking at the front (above left; click to enlarge), one of the folks on our tour asked where the entrance was. Another FLW ego trick. You really have to look to find it (center). And that is exactly the point. The top right photo is the visitor center.
*Editors Note
My apologies for the lack of photographs of the inside.
Photography is prohibited on the Basic Walk Through Tour.
