Frank Lloyd Wright spent three decades transforming the architectural landscape of Buffalo, New York, with his groundbreaking designs. His influence did not diminish after his death; a dedicated group of enthusiasts, often called superfans, has been working tirelessly to restore and revive his iconic buildings. However, not everyone believes Wright would have approved. As Allsopp puts it, “Wright would have gone crazy if he’d seen this stuff. His buildings were designed for their specific sites and contexts, and he was perpetually pushing the envelope. He’d question why a design that’s a hundred years old should be built now.
Situated in the leafy suburb of Buffalo, New York, the Darwin D. Martin House is Frank Lloyd Wright’s most lavish private residence. The house boasts 400 windows adorned with intricate art-glass panels, gold-lined mortar, eight miles of wooden paneling, and thousands of hand-glazed mosaic tiles. Wright described the building as a “domestic symphony,” referring to it as the pinnacle of his Prairie house style and calling it “the most perfect thing of its kind in the world.”
Mary Robert, the director of the Martin House Restoration Corporation, noted the extravagance of the design, stating that it was excessive. Over the past two decades, $50 million has been spent on restoring the building. Roberts mentioned that reproducing one window alone, designed with Wright’s signature tree of life motif, costs $28,000.
The house was completed in 1905 and served as a fitting monument to Darwin D. Martin, an executive at the Larkin Soap Company. Martin’s company also commissioned Wright to design the groundbreaking Larkin Administration Building, a revolutionary office space. Though the building was demolished in the 1950s, only a small brick stump remains, but it continues to draw architectural enthusiasts. Tim Tielman, a historian devoted to preserving Buffalo’s architectural history, explained that the Larkin building transformed office design by introducing features such as air conditioning, gravity heating, and wall-hung toilets. He expressed confidence that the building could eventually be reconstructed, suggesting that its remains are buried in the Ohio canal basin beneath a park.
Buffalo’s enthusiasm for Wright’s work has led to a number of posthumous constructions based on the architect’s designs. One notable project is Wright’s filling station, a previously unrealized design that now stands as a pink pavilion in Buffalo. James Sandoro, owner of the Pierce-Arrow transport museum, spent $1 million bringing Wright’s vision to life. Sandoro explained that Wright had initially proposed a gravity-fed petrol system with an open hearth below the gas tanks to give the attendant’s quarters a domestic touch, a detail that likely contributed to the project’s original rejection. Sandoro made several changes to the design, such as leaving the copper elements polished and omitting glass in the windows. Despite the modifications, the pavilion has significantly boosted museum attendance.
Another of Wright’s posthumous designs is the Fontana Boathouse, which was constructed in Buffalo in 2007. Originally designed in 1905 for the University of Wisconsin rowing club, the boathouse was finally built on the shores of Lake Erie. Olivia McCarthy, a representative for the project, emphasized that the boathouse was meant to be functional, rather than purely a museum piece. Although the building adheres to Wright’s original design, modern regulations require adaptations, such as glass guardrails on the balcony.
Anthony Puttnam, an architect and former student of Wright, was tasked with overseeing the project. He acknowledged that the boathouse could never be an exact historical reproduction but maintained that Wright’s spirit was present in the design. Puttnam noted that Wright had always intended for his unbuilt projects to serve as a source of income for the foundation. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, located at Taliesin West in Arizona, carefully guards the architect’s intellectual property, earning revenue through licensing. The boat club paid $80,000 for the rights to build the boathouse, while Sandoro paid $175,000 for the filling station plans.
Philip Allsopp, former president of the foundation, criticized the trend of recreating Wright’s unbuilt designs, arguing that Wright would not have approved. Allsop explained that Wright’s buildings were always intended for specific sites and contexts, and he believed Wright would question the rationale behind constructing century-old designs today.
One of the most prominent posthumous constructions is the Blue Sky Mausoleum, located in Buffalo’s Forest Lawn cemetery. Originally designed in 1928 for the Martin family, the mausoleum was never built due to the stock market crash. The structure, completed in 2004, features 24 crypts and a grand staircase. Wright’s own words are inscribed on the structure: “The whole could not fail of noble effect.” However, the cemetery’s program director, Sandy Starks, remarks that many visitors mistakenly assume the mausoleum remains incomplete. Despite the relatively few crypts sold, Wright’s name continues to attract attention, and merchandise tied to his legacy remains popular.
