Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House

The story of Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House is a long, classic tale of redemption. What was originally Wright's crowning achievement in residential architecture turned into decades of abandonment and despair. There was surely a time when it seemed as though this architectural gem would be lost forever.

Enter the Martin House Restoration Corporation (MHRC) to save what is now one of Buffalo's most important historical sites and frankly, pieces of art. I commonly refer to the Martin House as Buffalo’s most iconic and impressive home.

The History of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House

Prominent Buffalo businessman and owner of the Larkin Soap Company, Darwin Martin, commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to build his family home in 1903 on Jewett Avenue in Buffalo’s Parkside neighborhood.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s original designs called for an estate with just over 29,000 square feet of living space, with the Martin House itself totaling nearly 15,000. Basically, it’s massive.

The work on the Martin House was completed in 1905 and it looked very much like it does today. The classic prairie style architecture that Frank Lloyd Wright has come to be known for is on full display. All of the restoration efforts were based on the 1907 estate in order to achieve the most historically and architecturally accurate re-creation.

Shortly after Darwin Martin’s death in 1935, the Martin family could no longer maintain the estate and abandoned the buildings. They did, however, continue to summer at Graycliff, the Wright-designed lakeside home for the family.

The estate at 125 Jewett Parkway ended up laying vacant for close to 20 years. It wasn't until 1986 that it was listed as a National Historic Landmark. After nearly 50 years of the property in disarray, the MHRC was formed and the story of the Martin House redemption finally began.

Restoring the Martin house was NOT easy

Restoring a Frank Lloyd Wright home that has been let go for 50+ years is not an easy task, nor is it a cheap one. Extraordinary amounts of time, effort, and money was required to bring this prairie house masterpiece back to life.

The MHRC raised the necessary funds, totaling around $50 million, through every level of public and private contributions. Restoration work started in 1997 and wasn’t fully completed until 2019. That’s a 22 year commitment.

The roofing, water proofing, water and sewage work was the first task that needed to be accomplished and lasted until 2004. That alone highlights just how far into disrepair the Martin House had fallen. Since then, the original Frank Lloyd Wright designed footprint has been restored and all of the breathtaking details have come alive once again.

The project involved both restoration and reconstruction, and countless members of the community provided incredible support throughout the decades. Many recognized the importance of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House to our city as an historic landmark, a tourist destination, and a point of city pride.

Today, it’s easy to say that the investment has paid off in every way. The home attracts more than 40,000 visitors to Buffalo from around the world each year and is always a hub of activity.

It’s our job to ensure the MHRC has the means to continue to preserve, interpret, promote, and sustain this important landmark. Without a passion and understanding of how lucky we are as a city and as architecture historians and lovers to keep something as important as this piece of art, it very easily could fall into another 50-year state of decay.

Thank you to the MHRC for all of your effort over the past 20+ years.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin Martin House

For more information regarding the specific timeline of the Martin House restoration, click here. Please also consider taking a tour of the Martin House to see its beauty for yourself and to help ensure our community keeps this gem for a long, long time.

Please enjoy the gallery below and subscribe to keep up to date. Thank you for following Buffalo Homes.