FLW's prairie style houses struck a resonant chord with DDM. They were a dramatic departure from the usual European Victorian style. Emphasis in these homes was on nature, democracy and justice. He stressed that organic principles nurtured the spirit and conferred contentment "upon those who lived within its embrace." (Lesley Newfield, "FLW's Martin House Complex".)
The Prairie House style was the epitome of organic design based upon the geography of the Midwest (which FLW extended to encompass the Buffalo structures). FLW said in an article published in the "Architectural Record," Vol. xxiii, No.3, 1908, "The prairie has a beauty of its own and we should recognize and accentuate the natural beauty; its quiet level. Hence, gently sloping roofs, low proportions, quiet skylines, suppressed heavy-set chimneys and sheltering overhangs, low terraces and out-reaching walls sequestering private gardens."
The Martin House in ways echoes some of the concepts of the L.A.B. A rectangular central area is essentially open space. Rooms flow into each other, decorated by red bricks, pier clusters, ceiling beams and ceiling moldings. By omitting walls and doors - i.e. - breaking the box - the home gave a family the freedom to readily interact with each other. Ceiling heights were adjusted to encourage people to move on through (low like in entranceways) or higher to make people feel welcome. Perpendicular axial areas took people to the veranda or out to the carport.
|
|
 |
|
wikipedia.com
|
|
Within the four sided pier clusters the heating system provided warmth both downstairs and upstairs. Built into some of them were library shelves to house DDM's extensive library including rare books. Small doors with leaded glass windows opened between the library shelf unit and the ceiling beams to emit heat when needed. Between the sets of pier clusters the occasional nook provided a quiet space to read or relax.
The low appearing house is solidly anchored to its site by the massive rectangular chimney puncturing the sloping roof of the main part of the house. Inside, the chimney is welcomed by the massive two sided fireplace that separates the living room from the entry hall. That fireplace had been beautifully adorned with a glass tile mosaic of graceful vines of purple wisteria back lit by shimmering gold glass tiles. Though the mural had been destroyed over years of neglect and vandalism, it has just recently been fully restored and, by all accounts, is magnificent.
The house is famous for its stained glass windows wrapping around both levels of the house. Their patterns are called "Wisteria" on the first floor and "Tree of Life" on the second floor. Both now adorn women's scarfs and men's ties throughout America. Many of the windows had been removed and sold long ago, necessitating the duplication of them. But slowly but surely originals are coming home. Just in the last few weeks it was announced that a museum in England is returning two originals. In return the duplicates, which had been dedicated to long time board member and benefactor, Burt Notarius, will be sent to the English museum to replace the originals with the blessings of the Notarius family.
One of the most dramatic views in the house was, upon entering the house, looking down the hall to the pergola (a brick and glass roofed passageway) and then to the conservatory. Lush with plants filling the space, your eyes were drawn to a glistening white marble life size copy of the sculpture "Winged Victory," or "the Nike of Samothrace." The effect is dramatic and creates a sense of sacred space.
Turn right and you walk a short distance to the Barton House; turn left and enter the carriage house. It was in the latter where DDM kept his cars and horses. Today it is a wonderful gift shop which is worth a visit in itself.
But the pergola, conservatory and carriage house that you see today are not original. Like what was to happen at L.A.B., the Martin House complex, after being abandoned in 1937 by the family after DDM's death in 1935, was acquired by the City of Buffalo in tax foreclosure proceedings. The City allowed it to further deteriorate. Finally, in 1954 an architect, Sebastian Tauriello, purchased the Complex except for the Barton House and Gardener's Cottages. He paid $22,000. It was a mess. Kids had vandalized it, even smashing the gold tiles in the fireplace. The roof had leaked, the basement had flooded, wood was rotted throughout the house. Mushrooms were being grown on the second floor of the garage by a former caretaker.
Tauriello was not a rich man. He moved his family into the house and went to work on it. But the expense was overwhelming. In a desperate effort to raise money to pay for the restoration of the Martin House, he tore down, in 1960, the pergola, conservatory and carriage house, replacing them with, three ugly apartment buildings. He used the rents to fund the restoration. Not too much criticism was made; Marjorie Quinlan, in her book, "FLW's DDM House: Rescue of a Landmark," notes that Tauriello's wife, Ruth, after his death, told her that the neighbors were quite happy to have a family move in, to clean up all the broken glass and debris. "It had been so long an eyesore and threat to their property values that they were delighted to see a family occupy the house." She was unaware of any public comment one way or another after the buildings were torn down, she said.
Later the property passed to the State University of New York and then to the Martin House Restoration Corp., U.B. and NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Those entities continued to collect rents from the apartments till two were demolished in 2001 and the third in 2004 when reconstruction of the pergola, conservatory and carriage home commenced.
The last building completed in the original complex was the Gardner's Cottage. Though tiny and simple in design, FLW did not short change it on charm. It, too, is a prairie house with piers at the corners supporting its sloping roof, and ribbon leaded glass windows spanning the gap between the piers on both floors. The design of the glass is simple iridescent geometric shapes, surrounding panels of clear glass. Beautiful - and this was the hired help's place! The small dining room which protrudes beyond the "box" is surrounded on three sides with these windows looking out into the garden.
This home, too, has a brick fireplace in the living room, facing windows which overlook charming Woodward Street and yet another fireplace upstairs in the master bedroom, this one framed with blue-green ceramic tiles.
After the Martin House was abandoned, the Gardner's Cottage was eventually sold several times, passing finally into the hands of Greg Kinsman, who restored the house and added a room to the rear of the house so sympathetic to the design of the rest of the house that it is generally assumed to be original. Bordered on three sided by leaded glass windows, it provides a relaxing sitting room with a view of the gardens that separate it from the house, pergola and Carriage House.
Like FLW did for the Martin House, Kinsman designed FLW-look-alike furniture, completing this charming house between 1987 and 1992. His mother, Marilyn, resided in it till 2006 when the house was purchased by Stan and Judith Lipsey who donated it to the Martin House Restoration Corp.
So much more can be said about the Martin House complex. Quinan points out that FLW never again designed such a masterpiece of a residence. Why not? "The answer lies in Wright's determination to idealize his client in the building. The genesis of the Martin House lay in the personality of Darwin Martin."
