Darwin D Martin House, (Buffalo, USA); 1903-Present; Modern

Front Facade

In Frank Lloyd Wright’s mind he was the first American Architect because of his creation of the Prairie style. The scheme consisted of horizontal planes, a hip roof with overhangs and a solid foundation. Wright was given the Martin project with no monetary limit, and he finished it in 1905; which really set him out to do whatever he pleased. Martin and his wife, along with his sister-in-law, lived on the property. Once Martin lost his job the family was forced to leave, leaving the house vacant for 17 years. After suffering a lot of damage, the Martin House Restoration Corporation started raising money to restore it to its former glory. An adjacent building was built next to the estate to create a visitor center, called the Eleanor and Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion. Their goal is to raise $50 billion to have the estate exactly as it was when it first opened, to be used as a museum.

Shutter

The estate is formed from 5 buildings, Carriage House, Barton House, the Conservatory, the Pergola, and the largest the Martin House. Wright was known for using his organic and natural palette throughout his buildings. This was able to enhance how the light created a cozy and warm feeling, for the whoever lived there. He was very specific in not just having his glass be clear panels for views. He created art glass that are called “Tree of life.” The glass screen made up of 700 pieces, had a design that was broken up into three sections; the ground, the trunk, and the branches. I believe the art glass was a way to not have typical looking glass windows, but rather a filter for light to penetrate the area. With the design it would  create interesting shadows within the space. On the second floor these windows would help create the private space Wright had planned. In the Martin house, the fireplace is a central area like many of his other building. For this building he open up the hearth to both the reception hall and the living room on the other side. Within the large column Wright did not spoil the area and used this negative space to create shutters that could be opened connecting the rooms together. Along with creating a form of ventilation among the house.

Looking at the Martin house from the exterior, one gets a strong sense of horizontality. Wright has a strong sense of continuity even when elements are cut off with other vertical elements. Adding to this is his use of color, the contrast of the white concrete to the very orange-yellow bricks and even the dark brown he uses for the roof. The massing of the building seems to be pulled from a central area, maybe even the hearth, and even the smaller decorative elements that get pulled from the center, have an overall connection through the horizontal connection.

Wright made a very big deal in having everything being harmonious. The furniture created the building, and the landscape enhanced it. Every lawn or courtyard seemed to surrounded by a mass of bushes, flowers or tree. The Martin house is separated from the rest of the estate by a Floricycle, which is a semicircle of plants that will bloom at different time in the year, creating a dominate feel to this section of the estate. The Darwin D Martin House is said to be one of Wright most successful projects, along with Falling Water and the Guggenheim.  

Plan of original Green space
Bayer Landscape Architecture

Plan of Estate

Works Cited

Jacques, Kiley. “Restoring Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin D. Martin House.” Classic Homes Design and Restoration | Period Homes Magazine, 14 Nov. 2017, www.period-homes.com/projects/collaborative-restoration-frank-lloyd-wright-home

Bayer Landscape Architecture. “Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin D. Martin House Complex, Cultural Landscape Report.” Bayer Landscape Architecture, PLLC, www.bayerla.com/frank-lloyd-wrights-darwin-d-martin-house-complex-cultural-landscape-report/.

Frank Lloyd Wright Trust. “Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.” Darwin D. Martin House, flwright.org/researchexplore/darwindmartinhouse.

InsiderPerks, director. Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House. YouTube, YouTube, 26 Apr. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxqgFxOxc1o.

Sullivan, Mary Ann. “Darwin Martin House Complex.” Images of the Darwin Martin House Complex Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, 2009, www.bluffton.edu/homepages/facstaff/sullivanm/newyork/buffalo/martinhouse/pergola.html.