Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959 and Buffalo and Western New York Architecture Collection (State University of New York at Buffalo)
- Abstract:
- Architectural and landscape plans for the Darwin D. Martin House and Graycliff, the summer home of the Darwin D. Martin family which were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
- Extent:
- 37 Linear Feet and 1 manuscript box, 13 map case drawers
- Language:
- Collection material in English.
- Preferred citation:
[Description and dates], Item number, MS 22.0, Architectural Drawings of the Darwin D. Martin House and Graycliff, 1904-1988 (bulk 1904-1930), University Archives, State University of New York at Buffalo.
See the Special Collections' preferred citations instructions for additional information.
Background
- Scope and Content:
Architectural and landscape plans for the Darwin D. Martin House Complex, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, in Buffalo, New York, including blueprints and drawings showing the original plans for the house, outer buildings, gardener's cottage, furniture and landscape architecture, as well as plans for subsequent alterations; also plans for the Martin Family Country House, Graycliff, built on the Lake Shore of Lake Erie at Derby, New York. Also included (item 35) is a letter book, 1905-1906, concerning the Martin House kept by general contractor, O.S. Lang.
- Biographical / Historical:
Date Event 1865 Darwin D. Martin born - Boucville, Madison Co., New York1867 Frank Lloyd Wright born - Richland Center, Wisconsin1869 Isabelle Reidpath, the future Mrs. Martin, born - Buffalo, New York1878 Brothers Darwin D. Martin and Louis Frank Martin selling soap for Larkin Company in New York City1879 Darwin D. Martin, aged thirteen, begins work at Larkin Company in Buffalo1885 Darwin D. Martin invents cardex1887 Frank Lloyd Wright begins studies at the University of Wisconsin1888 Darwin D. Martin begins building house on Summit Avenue in Buffalo1889 Darwin D. Martin marries Isabelle ReidpathFrank Lloyd Wright builds Home and Studio in Oak Park1890 Frank Lloyd Wright joins Alder and SullivanDarwin D. Martin replaces Elbert Hubbard as Secretary of Larkin Soap Company1893 Frank Lloyd Wright starts his own practice1902 October 29 -- Darwin D. Martin meets Frank Lloyd WrightDarwin D. Martin purchases site for Martin House Complex, Jewett Parkway1903 October 11 - Construction begins on Barton House1904 July 20 - Construction begins on Martin HouseOctober - Barton House occupied1905 Martin House Complex completed1910 Frank Lloyd Wright designs Bar Beach Cottage (Bay Beach, Ontario, Canada) for Darwin D. Martin (unexecuted)1923 Darwin D. Martin commissions Frank Lloyd Wright to design a home for James and Dorothy Martin Foster, daughter of Darwin D. Martin (unexecuted)1925 Martin retires from the Larkin Company1926 Construction begins on Graycliff1928 June 20 - Graycliff occupiedFrank Lloyd Wright designs the Blue Sky Mausoleum for Darwin D. Martin's ploy in Buffalo's Forest Lawn Cemetery (unexecuted)1935 Darwin D. Martin dies in Buffalo1936 Fallingwater (Bear Run, Pennsylvania), designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kaufmanns1945 Isabelle R. Martin dies in Buffalo1959 Frank Lloyd Wright diesDate Event 1926 April 5 - Darwin D. Martin writes to Frank Lloyd Wright requesting 1910 Bay Beach Cottage design; Darwin D. Martin is considering building on shores of Lake ErieApril 18 - Darwin D. Martin looks at site in Derby, New YorkApril 19 - Darwin D. Martin purchases 250-foot front on Lake Erie, with 60-foot cliffApril 21 - Darwin D. Martin informs Frank Lloyd Wright that he's not interested in 1910 cottage design, but a two-story stone house designed by Frank E. Newman for E.W. Russell of Greenwich, ConnecticutMay 3 - Frank Lloyd Wright sends Darwin D. Martin preliminary drawingsMay 5 - Darwin D. Martin informs Frank Lloyd Wright that Isabelle R. Martin is Frank Lloyd Wright's clientAugust 19-20 - Frank Lloyd Wright in Buffalo to see siteAugust 27 - Isabelle R. Martin sees the site for first timeSeptember - Construction on garage begun.September - Due to marital problems, Frank Lloyd Wright asks his son John Lloyd Wright to take over the project; the Martins did not approve the changeNovember - Frank Lloyd Wright resumes his service to the Martins; construction continues on the site1927 April 5-6 - Frank Lloyd Wright visits siteJune 4 - Darwin D. Martin writes to Frank Lloyd Wright of the completion of the foundation of the main houseJune 15-16 - Frank Lloyd Wright visits siteAugust 31-September 2 - Chimney and masonry of main house completedSeptember - Frank Lloyd Wright finalizes designs for landscape, tennis court, circle, and guest house; the guest house was not executedSeptember - Furniture designs by Frank Lloyd Wright are executed1928 March 10, 12 - Furniture bought for main houseJune 20 - Martins "open" houseSeptember 20 - Paul A. Harsh, a house guest at Graycliff, suggests the name "Graycliff"1929 April - Isabelle R. Martin asks Frank Lloyd Wright to design a screened walk to cross the esplanade behind the stone bench for servantsJune 15 - Frank Lloyd Wright visits siteJuly - Martins request Frank Lloyd Wright to design a "concrete tent house" for the Foster family (unexecuted)July - Martins request Frank Lloyd Wright to design a third-floor to main house (unexecuted)July 29 - Construction on evergreen garden, stone seat begun; Frank Lloyd Wright selects and ships furnishings for the main house from Marshall Fields in Chicago; Frank Lloyd Wright suggests wicker and overstuffed chairs for the main house1935 Darwin D. Martin passes awayIsabelle R. Martin continues to summer at the site, and winters with the Foster family1938 November - Engineering report on site compiled by G.E. Seitzmiller for insurance purposes1941 Isabelle R. Martin continues to summer at the site, but moves into garage apartment1942 Isabelle R. Martin spends her last summer at the site; she moves permanently to Buffalo to live with the Foster family1945 IRM passes awayStewardship of the site falls to a holding company belonging to Darwin R. Martin, son of Darwin D. Martin1950 Piarist Fathers, a Hungarian order, purchases site from Darwin R. MartinMid-1950s Chapel addition constructed over south terrace of main houseGarage addition and a storage building constructedCirca 1956 School building/dormitory constructed to house Hungarian refugees1958 August - Frank Lloyd Wright visits the site1996 Piarist Father's place property for saleGraycliff Conservancy is formed to acquire and restore the site1997 October - Graycliff Conservancy signs a contract to purchase the site- Acquisition information:
Items numbered 1-35 were gifts of Darwin R. Martin and Dorothy Martin Foster to the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Items 36-45 were purchased for the University Archives as part of accession 83-033.
Photocopies of additional plans, primarily details of the Martin House, circa 1904-5, 1909, were acquired as part of accession 82-56 and numbered 82-56-1 to 82-56-31.
Plans of the Fireplace Mosaic, Darwin D. Martin House, were reconstructed by students in the School of Architecture, State University of New York at Buffalo in 1988 and located in the basement of Hayes Hall by the archivist around 2005.
- Processing information:
Processed by University Archives staff.
- Arrangement:
Collection is arranged in four series, then by item number:
- Martin-Foster Donations
- Photocopies
- Photocopies of plans of Darwin D. Martin House
- Plans for the Fireplace Mosaic, Darwin D. Martin House
- Accruals:
No further accruals are expected to this collection.
- Physical location:
- Collection located in map case drawers except the O.S. Lang Letter Book which is in Box 1 in the stacks, row 22.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed Terms
- Subjects:
- Blueprints (reprographic copies)
- Names:
- Darwin D. Martin House (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Graycliff (Derby, N.Y.)
Buffalo and Western New York Architecture Collection (State University of New York at Buffalo)
Foster, Dorothy Martin
Martin, Darwin R. (Darwin Reidpath)
Lang, O.S. -- Archives
Martin, D.D. (Darwin D.) -- Archives
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959 -- Archives - Places:
- Buffalo (N.Y.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
The Architectural Drawings of the Darwin D. Martin House and Graycliff, 1904-1988 (bulk 1904-1930), are open for research.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
Copyright of papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright and the University Archives before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.
Items 82-56-1 to 82-56-31 may be consulted for study at the University Archives but as the Archives does not own the originals, the Archives cannot give permission for their reproduction or use outside the Archives.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
[Description and dates], Item number, MS 22.0, Architectural Drawings of the Darwin D. Martin House and Graycliff, 1904-1988 (bulk 1904-1930), University Archives, State University of New York at Buffalo.
See the Special Collections' preferred citations instructions for additional information.
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
- CONTACT:
-
716-645-2916lib-archives@buffalo.edu