Darwin D. Martin House Complex, (Buffalo, NY); 1903 - 05; Prairie House

The Darwin D. Martin House Complex is a residence located in Buffalo, NY. It was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and it was built between 1903 and 1905. It is one of Wright’s greatest works, among the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, NY and Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. The Martin House Complex was designed during Wright’s Prairie House period.


The Prairie House period was a new approach to domestic architecture that Wright decided to take. It was inspired by the flat landscape in the Midwest and it is a unique style of architecture. (“The Prairie Style | Frank Lloyd Wright Trust”) Prairie houses have low, horizontal lines that were designed to resemble how prairies are flat and they are built around a central point which is the chimney. Prairie houses contain mainly open spaces rather than confined rooms. The purpose of this was to show the contrast between the interior spaces and the surrounding terrain. (“Prairie Style”)

In the Martin House Complex lived Darwin D. Martin, his wife and family, his sister and her husband. In 1902, Martin’s brother commissioned Wright to build him a home in Oak Park, Illinois (William E. Martin House). Martin was so impressed with this house that he convinced Wright to take a look at his property in Buffalo. He had originally planned to build two houses in that property. In addition, Wright also designed the E-Z Stove Polish Company’s factory, which was the company that Martin and his brother co-owned.

The complex is made up of connecting buildings which include the main house (the Martin House), a pergola, a conservatory, a carriage house-stable, a gardener’s cottage, and a smaller house for Martin’s sister and her husband called the Barton House. There were also conflicts with this house when it was being built. Martin did not like how the conservatory was so small yet had a 60 feet long greenhouse attached to it. However, the greenhouse was not designed by Wright. The physical features of the Martin House Complex are low roofs with gentle slopes, cantilevered overhanging eaves and banded windows (three or more windows placed horizontally). (“Introduction to the Darwin D. Martin House Complex in Buffalo, New York by Frank Lloyd Wright”)

Frank Lloyd Wright is the architect of the Darwin D. Martin House Complex. He lived from 1867 to 1959. Wright’s style of architecture was one that focused on simplicity and natural beauty because he believed that buildings should honor the natural beauty of their surroundings. Wright designed more than 1,100 buildings in his lifetime and almost one third of those buildings were designed during his last decade of life. Wright worked at a prestigious architectural firm in Chicago called Adler & Sullivan in the 1890s, where he got to work directly with Louis Sullivan, another well-known architect. (“Frank Lloyd Wright’s Magnificent Darwin Martin House in Buffalo, NY”) He also came up with a new style of architecture called “organic architecture”. The purpose of this style was to show how buildings can be integrated with their sites to become one unified building.

Works Cited
“Prairie Style Houses -- Environments Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.” Wright on the Web, www.wrightontheweb.net/his-works/prairie-style/.

“Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.” The Prairie Style | Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, flwright.org/researchexplore/prairiestyle.


“Frank Lloyd Wright.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 13 Mar. 2018, www.biography.com/people/frank-lloyd-wright-9537511.

“Frank Lloyd Wright's Magnificent Darwin Martin House in Buffalo, NY.” The Craftsman Bungalow, www.thecraftsmanbungalow.com/frank-lloyd-wright-darwin-martin-house/.

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