Once threatened by demolition, two remarkable homes by Frank Lloyd Wright in Buffalo, New York, stand today as evidence of the city’s post-industrial renewal over the past several decades. “A domestic symphony” is how Wright (1867–1959) described the multi-building Prairie-style masterpiece, now known as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House, that he created for Darwin Martin in the city during the first decade of the 20th century. In the 1920s, Martin asked Wright to design a summer house, now called Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff, on Lake Erie southwest of Buffalo. The painstaking, decades-long process required to restore these civic icons has both built community spirit and enhanced cultural tourism to the region.
Buffalo was the country’s eighth largest city in 1900, prospering thanks to Great Lakes shipping and industry. Notable architects like Louis Sullivan and Henry Hobson Richardson designed grand buildings here, and the city’s neighborhoods contain an encyclopedia of architectural styles. It was Darwin Martin (1865–1935), a wealthy, self-made executive at Buffalo’s Larkin Soap Company, who recommended Frank Lloyd Wright as a candidate to design the Larkin Administration Building (demolished in 1950). Martin also hired Wright to build him a house, starting a productive client-architect relationship and deep friendship. In 1903, Wright began work on the six-building complex, which Kellie Mazur, Communications Manager at Martin House, describes as “one of the few places in the world to feature this concentration of architectural masterpieces and a full landscape designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.” Darwin Martin commissioned Graycliff after retiring from Larkin in 1925, and Wright turned a request for a cottage into a 6,500-square-foot house.
Sadly, Martin lost his fortune in the Depression and died, impoverished, in 1935, and the fate of the two estates diverged. The family abandoned the city house, which remained vacant until 1954. After decades of watching the site decline, private donors, foundations, and local, state, and federal sources contributed to projects over more than 25 years, completing a $52 million restoration in 2019. Today, Kellie Mazur of Martin House notes, “Martin House is the lynchpin of cultural tourism in the Buffalo region, generating significant tourism dollars annually throughout the Western New York region and the entire state.” New York State and the nonprofit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House operate the complex cooperatively. Graycliff, after the death of Isabelle Martin, was sold in 1950 to the Piarist Fathers, a Hungarian religious order that made substantial changes. When the number of Fathers dwindled, the newly formed nonprofit Graycliff Conservancy acquired the site in 1999, completing major restoration projects by 2019. Scheduled for completion in spring 2026 is Graycliff’s expanded Visitor Center, which Executive Director Anna Kaplan says will “create flexible interior space we’ve never had, enabling Graycliff to offer engaging year-round programming beyond our guided tours while serving as a true community gathering place.” In 2024, Martin House had 40,600 visitors; 16,000 visited Graycliff.
Visiting Martin House
Martin House is in the leafy Parkside neighborhood next to Delaware Park, part of an area designed by Frederick Law Olmsted for the city in his 1876 Parks and Parkways Plan. Visitors begin their experience at the modern Visitor Center designed by Toshiko Mori, Architect, viewing an excellent short film about Martin and Wright. Different tours, some seasonal, offer ways to experience all or part of the 1.5-acre complex, which comprises Martin House itself, the Pergola and Conservatory (both reconstructed from detailed plans), the Carriage House (reconstructed; holds a gift shop), the Barton House (completed in 1904 for Martin’s sister), and the Gardener’s Cottage (now an event space). Besides general tours, options include a Women of the Martin House Tour, a Home & Garden Tour, and, mostly on summer weekends, a new self-guided audio tour; reserve tours in advance. Martin House also mounts special exhibitions; in spring 2026, “Collecting Ourselves” will focus on the site’s efforts to regain original objects that had left the house.
Tours provide a sense of the restoration work and cover the major features of this complex encompassing 30,000 square feet of interior space. Built from 1903 to 1905, Martin House has the long, low roofs and thin Roman brick that are hallmarks of Wright’s Prairie style. A distinctive feature is the site’s cross-axial plan, both in the Martin House and among the buildings. Martin House, Wright’s largest Prairie-style house, is notable for its open plan, including the first floor’s “unit room” with living room, dining room, and library areas, and the 100-foot covered Pergola that leads to the Conservatory and a replica of the classical Nike of Samothrace. In the house, Wright used fine-grained rift-sawn oak, colors derived from nature, and almost 400 works of art glass in different patterns, which let light in but provide some privacy. He designed much of the house’s furniture, though it now has a mix of original pieces and reproductions. Wright also planned the now-restored landscape at Martin House, such as a curving “floricycle” of plants that screen the house from the street. Martin House’s grounds and gardens can always be explored for free.
Visiting Graycliff
Spectacularly located on a 60-foot-high gray limestone cliff overlooking Lake Erie in Derby, 16 miles southwest of Buffalo, Graycliff was designed by Wright and built between 1926 and 1931 as a summer house for Isabelle R. Martin (1869–1945), Darwin Martin’s wife, and the family. Reflecting the architect’s mid-career Organic Style, it features cantilevered balconies, ribbon windows, and large terraces that help connect the airy house with the lake—the views are fabulous—and nature. The house’s stucco exterior even includes sand from the lakefront beach. Wright designed about 30 pieces of furniture for Graycliff, including an original cypress bench in the foyer, and ordered wicker pieces and more from Marshall Field’s in Chicago. Photographs of the house have been used to re-create Graycliff’s furnishings. Also on-site are the small Heat Hut, which housed the boiler, and the Foster House, a garage with an apartment that some of the family lived in during summers. The Ellen Biddle Shipman–designed gardens and landscape of the 8.5-acre are another distinctive element.
Tours (reservations required) of the main house are continuing during construction of the Visitor Center that will open in spring 2026, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of Wright’s design. These include a discussion of how Isabelle Martin worked with the notoriously opinionated Wright to create a comfortable summer house. Graycliff offers some themed tours too, like early summer evening tours and a few Wright Rocks! tours that allow visitors access to the base of the cliff.
Expanding Community Connections
Along with opening its grounds free to the public, Martin House plans free programs year-round so that community members can experience the site and learn about it. Among these is Music in Bloom, an outdoor concert series highlighting local musicians that takes place near Wright’s floricycle landscape. Familia Fun celebrates Latin culture and food and includes activities and music. The Design Aloud series of lectures presents scholars who explore architectural topics in more detail.
Martin House’s school tours and programs help teachers and parents create a meaningful experience for kids. Some standard tours are appropriate for different age groups, and themed activities, such as one on art glass, are a popular choice to enhance a visit. In-class and online programs offer more options, as do summer camps.
The Creative Residency Program offers two selected applicants annually a stipend and the opportunity to spend several weeks on-site working on a project related to Martin House. Residents share their work with the public.
Besides the opportunities the in-progress Visitor Center will provide in the future, Graycliff sponsors the popular free weekly summer Market at Graycliff (paused in 2025 due to construction), which draws a diverse audience to discover this architectural treasure. Visitors can experience the lake views and beautiful grounds while enjoying music and activities and browsing stands with produce and goods from local farmers and artisans. Optional self-guided tours of the main house are offered at reduced rates during the Market.
Also Worth Visiting
The Great Wright Road Trip links additional Wright sites in and near Buffalo and extends to Western Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands, home to Fallingwater, Kentuck Knob, and Polymath Park. Side of Culture has also covered another Buffalo icon, the recently expanded AKG Buffalo Art Museum, and other city sites.
Linda Cabasin is a travel editor and writer who covered the globe at Fodor’s before taking up the freelance life. She lived on Lafayette Avenue in Buffalo for two years and is a contributing editor at Fathom. Follow Linda on Instagram at @lcabasin.
Featured photo: A drone shot shows the Martin House complex, including the Pergola and semicircular landscaped “floricycle.” Photo: Matthew Digati of Digati Photography, courtesy of Martin House
