Isabelle Martin House
N 42° 42.815 W 078° 58.373
17T E 665994 N 4731001
"Graycliff" was the informal summer counterpoint to the Darwin Martin complex designed for the wife of Larkin Soap executive Darwin D Martin.
Waymark Code: WM7Q9N
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 11/21/2009
Views: 16
This may be the least geometrically severe Frank Lloyd Wright I have ever seen. While there are plenty of Wrightian features, this transitional house has a very comfortable accessible feel to it. This may be due to the ongoing rapport between Wright and one of his best patrons in the Martin family and in part due to an uncharacteristic willingness to accept input from clients due to lack of commissions during this period. The Martins even where so forward as to suggest that Wright should refer to a plan published in the October 1913 issue of the Architectural Record for a house designed by architect Frank Eaton Newman. The Martins went on to note the desired room arrangements and sizes. Plans were exchanged over the course of many months but the basic in-line form parallel to the cliff remained. According to Smith, for Wright's part the design appears to be a reworking of the unbuilt McCormick house of 1907.
A water feature emerges below the porta cochere at the main entrance and empties into a reflecting pool. The house is constructed of fossiliferous Tichenor Limestone.
The Martins had additional plans on the drawing board including adding a third story to the main house and building a guesthouse as a variation on the main house and set perpendicular to the lake. But they were never built due to the Stock Market crash of 1929 and the resulting loss of the Martin's fortune.
Isabelle continued to summer at Graycliff until 1943 and she died in 1945. The estate was largely vacant until 1951 when it was sold to an order of Catholic priests. The Fathers made the estate their home for almost 50 years before the group had dwindled to two elderly priests and it was put up for sale in 1996. A group of Wright enthusiasts bought the estate to avoid demolition of the house to build lakefront condominiums and formed the Graycliff Conservancy. After over ten years the exterior restoration is complete and the interior restoration is underway as funds are raised.
Resources:
Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, Conference Tour Guide, Buffalo, New York, October 7-11, 2009, p. 13
Mahoney, Patrick J., 2009, Graycliff Emerging, Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly, Volume 20, Number 4, Fall 2009, pps. 4-15
Smith, Kathryn, 2009, Earth, Air, Light, Water: Graycliff, Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly, Volume 20, Number 4, Fall 2009, pps. 16-23
Year Completed: 1928
Commissioned By: Isabelle Martin
Nearest City or Town: Buffalo, NY
Public/Private: Public
Tours Available?: yes
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
There are no specific visit requirements, however telling about your visit is strongly encouraged. Additional photos of the building or house to add to the gallery are also nice, but not required. Pictures with a GPS or you in them is highly discouraged.