The Martin House was a really cool visit during my day trip to Buffalo and the Niagara Region with family. The building (interiors and architecture) was gorgeous and impressive, especially its history and restoration. There is a small quiet cafe between info center and the gift shop (the stables). We did the shorter guided tour. The tour is about the main home. It starts in the info center and ends in the stables (where the gift shop is). There is a longer tour that includes the other buildings on the property. During the tour, you aren't able to take photos of the interior spaces. You are able to explore the grounds and take photos without being in a tour. The tour was really informative. The volunteer guides knew what they were talking about. It was more information than what I have learnt in college. read more

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What an absolute treat to visit the Martin House! The Martin House, formally known as the Darwin D. Martin House, is one of Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest architectural works and a defining example of his Prairie School style. Located in Buffalo, it was designed for businessman Darwin D. Martin and his family, and built between 1903 and 1905. This is a massive residential estate, which Wright considered it one of his finest creations. Some of its most distinctive features include the following. The house emphasizes long horizontal lines, broad overhanging eaves and low-pitched roofs mirroring the Midwestern landscape. And rather than dividing the home into many enclosed rooms, Wright created interior spaces connected by wide openings and carefully arranged sightlines. This was a radical departure from the Victorian homes of the time and that are notable popular in the neighborhood surrounding the property. Quick note: You are required to have a tour to visit the home interiors, but you don't need a tour to enjoy the welcome center and the grounds, including the long walkway connecting buildings. The pergola is one of my favorite features. And it is such a joy that it has a replica of the Winged Nike (The Nike of Samothrace, located in Paris at the Louvre, which is a beautiful sight!). It is placed on a 3-foot-high concrete plinth, prominently visible from a 180-foot view starting at the front door of the main house. A dreamscape, really. I was enthralled. But it is not the original, unfortunately. A fiberglass resin replica was installed in 2007. The estate includes the main house, the Barton House (for Martin's sister and brother-in-law), a conservatory, a pergola, the carriage house and the gardener's cottage. These structures were connected both physically and visually, so the entire estate looks and feels very cohesive. A favorite -- the art glass windows. Apparently, there are something like 400 or so art glass windows. Wright referred to them as "light screens" because they filtered light while preserving views and privacy. Wright embraced the idea of "total design." He designed not only the buildings but also much of its furniture, lighting, decorative glass, fireplaces and other interior details. This means that pretty much every element worked together as a unified whole -- striking! In addition to the daily public tours, the events calendar is usually full. There are summer evening events, lectures, nights dedicated to kids, plant decorating events, musical performances and more. Although the property fell into severe disrepair during the mid-20th century, a decades-long restoration completed in 2019 reconstructed missing buildings and restored many original architectural details. Today, the Martin House is a National Historic Landmark and is widely regarded as one of the best-preserved and most important examples of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie architecture. I highly, highly recommend a visit -- plan for at least an hour, two if you can swing it. read more

Buffalo, and the world at large are so very fortunate to have this remarkable campus of Wright buildings. Wright called the Martin House his magnum opus and a visit will show you why. So much more than just a house, you have the main house, pergola, conservatory, gardeners cottage and Barton House. There are several standard tour options but also specialized tours (like candlelight and women of the Martin House). You can check out the visitors center and wander the grounds for free, but to access the interior you need to book a tour. It is absolutely worth it! The tour guides are well informed and each has their own spin on what they feature, so even if you've taken a tour before, you can go again and learn something additional. I've doon the basic tour, an in depth tour and a candle light tour. The basic tour still gives you an amazing experience with lots of information, but the other tours allow you to experience more of the space (like the second story bedrooms and the Barton House). You end the tour with information about the carriage house (it is also home to the gift shop). You have time after your tour to take in the beauty of the pergola and Nike statue. So many amazing nooks to explore and such beautifully maintained and manicured grounds. If you love architecture, you need to make a stop here. read more

Today was my first time visiting and we came for an open house, celebrating Darwin Martin's birthday. We did a self guided tour and having docents in every room of the house really enabled us to learn a lot. Everyone we interacted with was friendly and knowledgeable, especially Doug who knew the answers to all of our questions! He let us know about the extended tour as well so we plan to come back so we can see the rest of the house and additional buildings. Whether you come just to walk the grounds or opt to see the inside of the house, I highly recommend! read more

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We took the 2 hr tour. Well worth it for the extra history more rooms. 50 plus million to restore the place. Crazy how once the owner loss money in the market crash and then died his wife couldn't keep it up and just walked away. Over the years and different owners many changes. Now it getting close to what Wright designed again. Your tour guide was excellent, the grounds are outstanding as is the house. If you are in the area and like history highly recommended. read more

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House - On the national register - Museums Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Ok, so it was POURING rain and it was not open, but.... still SO worth it to walk around. As expected the architecture was amazing and this home is so well preserved. I was able to peek inside some of the windows, and as the outside alone is worth the trip! read more

I know next to nothing about architecture, but I've always appreciated FLW's designs. Having been to Falling Water, I jumped at the chance to visit another Wright house. This one did not disappoint. The manipulation of space, the intricate detail, the anticipation of future architectural trends -- all amazing. I couldn't believe that it was possible to tour a house for over two hours and not get bored. The stories our guide told along the way were very helpful. Suffice it to say, touring the Martin House is well worth the price! read more

What A beautiful house. The docent, we had, knew everything about Frank Lloyd Wright, the Martin family, and the tour of the house. The gardens were immaculate. It was truly an enjoyable experience. read more

Beautiful historic home in buffalo that is well preserved. My only downside to the tour was how slow it went because our tour guide was older and this older woman that also worked for the museum joined our group and became the gestapo on people in our tour group. Other than that they are knowledgeable of FLW and his works. And the home looked amazing read more

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House - Museums Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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This is an architectural gem of the city! We took the 2 hour tour and our docent, Steve, made the visit special and unique with stories of the property and the design detail. He went out of his way to answer questions from the group and was a wealth of knowledge. Loved the tour read more

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House - Garden - Museums Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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I absolutely love the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Any time we are somewhere and there is one of his properties, we must see it. We brought my mom up to Buffalo and I knew she had to go. It's my favorite Frank Lloyd Wright property. It's so innovative and so cool. I could walk around and pour over every unique architectural element for hours. The art glass windows are by far my favorite. They're so beautiful. The gardens also are so beautiful and well cared for. They have so many different plant varietals. I also could spend hours exploring the gardens and the end of the pergola. Love the gorgeous statue of Nike there too. It's striking when looking towards the end of the pergola. What really makes it? The guides. They're all volunteers but so passionate and knowledgeable about the property, it's legacy and contributions of Frank Lloyd Weight. Phyllis was our guide and she was so knowledgeable and well versed in the house that she was able to answer everyone's questions. They're the real heroes. If you love architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright and flowers or gardening, you must come see the Martin House. Then go down the road and visit Graybill, which is equally amazing. read more

One of us, the Mrs, is a huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright's work. Our tour guide were extremely knowledgeable. It is a very interesting home. If you love his work, this is definitely a must place for you to visit especially if you happen to be in Buffalo. read more

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Today's tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me. I became aware of the house 60 years ago as a child. Riding my bike to the Buffalo Zoo, I was stopped dead in my tracks by the magnificence of the vacant house with the overgrown lawn on Summit and Jewett Parkway in Buffalo NY. My too-long wait is finally over and I was fortunate to take the 2 hour Martin House Plus Tour today. This is an exceptional value which includes an introductory video documentary in the administration building followed by a guided tour of the restored Martin house, the Pergola, Conservatory, the Barton House, Gardener's Cottage, and the Carriage House. We took advantage of a Senior discount; there are several packages from which to choose. The tours are well organized and carefully designed to provide keen insight into the relationship between FLW and Darwin Martin as well as a birds-eye view of their influence in the world at that time. The docents are very engaging, thoroughly knowledgeable and accommodating to guests. The Gardener's Cottage is available for private catered events. It's very easy to imagine a beautiful bridal shower spilling out onto the garden area. We learned that the horticultural tours are extremely popular in the summer, and not to be missed! I do plan to visit the Graycliff estate of Isabelle Martin in the summer time and take advantage of the beautiful lake views. A thoroughly pleasant adventure for this long-time FLW fan! I would highly recommend a visit to this stunning site! read more

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Stopped here on our way back from Toronto, in an attempt to close out the Frank Lloyd Wright NY stops. I ordered a tour for 10am and we were there with ample time. There is a visitor center where you checkin and upon the start of the tour, a glass screen that projects a welcome video with some background. Probably the most high tech FLLW we have been to. Our tour guide was nice enough - information was good, and of course the house was very nice. I would put this in the top 5 of must-see places along with Taliesin, Robie House, and Fallingwater above it. read more

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Martin House is one of Frank Lloyd Wright's best earlier works. It is worth a visit if you are in Buffalo. General tour is 1.15 hrs, $25 for adults and the only way to see the interior. It is mindblowing to learn the original house only cost about $150,000 to construct, but more than $50 million to restore! Our guide, Eileen, was very knowledgeable and friendly. read more

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House - Exterior view of Martin House - Museums Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I've always been a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright's work, so I was eager to take a tour of Martin House, and I was NOT disappointed! Tip: The duration of the shorter tour is around 1.25 hours. It was a very memorable experience to see this sample of FLW's architecture, and to learn a bit about what went into the creation of this house.  The tour was exceptional, and now I look forward to visiting and touring some other FLW buildings in the not-too-distant future :-) read more

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Loved this place. The architecture is incredible! And the attention to detail is immaculate. I highly recommend. Also, the guides were wonderful! I did the two hour tour, and could have stayed for more! read more

I am an interior designer and brought my teenage kids here to experience their first FLW tour - they LOVED it. They are huge FLW fans who have a better understanding of what architecture and how FLW changed the landscape for American Architecture. read more

The house was very cool. I love that style so it was worth it for me. Our tour guide was a bit soft spoken and hard to hear. They are definitely a bit uptight there. No pictures on the inside of the house which I guess is their way to make people come and see it? They mentioned natural light and windows about 100 times on the tour. We were there on a very bright sunny day, but the interior still felt dark. If you are in Buffalo, it is worth the stop. read more

If you're a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) then you must visit this house. If you're not a fan you probably should visit anyhow and possibly become a fan. This past winter we attended a seminar that focused on the recently completed landscaping project that was designed to recreate the gardens as they originally were. As stated in their brochure, the Martin House landscape is unquestionably the most comprehensive domestic landscape ever designed and created by FLW. This was done at the end of a $50 million dollar restoration project on the entire property. We took the self guided tour but we should have taken one of the guided tours because you can't go in all of the buildings on the tour we selected. That's what I get for not doing my research in advance! Currently, as with many places during COVID restrictions, you have to purchase tickets in advance. The tour starts in the visitor's center with a short film about FLW and Darwin Martin, who he built the house for. Here you can see designs of the house along with a history of the building process and information about the Darwin family. If I thought I was in awe walking around the grounds, nothing compared to finally walking in the front door. The dramatic view just pulls you in! The wide open spaces, beautiful woodwork, amazing fireplaces, ceilings, and floors. The windows to me were the highlights of the house. Not only beautifully designed but functional. There was light coming in from everywhere. The windows and building are designed to reflect all available sunlight. Then when I though I saw it all we walked into the pergola that connects the house to the conservatory. Stunning! There are several other building on the complex including a carriage house that is now a gift shop, the Barton house which Darwin had build for his sister, and the gardener's cottage. Outside we got to admire the new landscaping along with a visiting art exhibit called The Space Between created by Jun Kaneohe. This exhibit ends Oct 2021. Buffalo is lucky to have a few FLW houses and structures. The FLW Filling Station, Fontana Boathouse, Larkin Building, and Graycliff. Our next stop, Graycliff! read more

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The first destination (Day 1, Venue 1) of our Western New York family vacation was Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House Complex in Buffalo. It was my 4th, my wife's 2nd, and the kids' 1st FLW building. Being both history buffs as well fans of interesting architecture, we had pre-ordered the two hour Martin House Plus Tour. Like all FLW tours, it was expensive, but putting it into perspective, it was cheaper than Taliesin West, but more expensive than the FLW Home and Studio in Oak Park, Illinois. The two hour tour included everything on the basic tour (both floors of the Martin House, plus the Pergola, Conservatory, and Carriage House), plus the Barton House and the Gardener's Cottage. Things we liked about the tour included the in-depth history on Darwin Martin and his wife, plus their deepening relationship with FLW. I was also fascinated by the gradual evolution of the Martin House Complex, starting with the construction of the Barton House -Martin's 'test' to see if FLW could do a project within budget- then the Martin House itself, and finally the Gardener's Cottage. My wife especially enjoyed all the art glass windows, while the kids -this being their first FLW experience- loved all of Wright's fine details, like the hidden bookcases in the library room. We were also struck by the Martin's loss of the house due to the Great Depression, and its rapid decline during subsequent decades, including the 1960s demolition of the original carriage house, conservatory, and pergola and their replacement with a pair of apartment buildings! The conservancy certainly did an outstanding job restoring the whole property to its 1907 grandeur! The things we did not like about the Martin House were all operational in nature, like the prohibition on indoor photography or the lack of parking, which resulted in me having to park on the street three blocks away. I also was not wild about the tour minder, aka the staff member at the back of the tour who was constantly hurrying us to keep up with the main guide, when some of us were trying to drink in the details of a particular room or space. Overall, our family absolutely loved touring the Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House Complex, and would be thrilled to return to this Excellent attraction in the future! read more

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Graycliff is best seen in warmer months but they do run winter tours. We did go inside the home and the views are spectacular. Full of light (as it was designed to do) and FLW furniture. We were allowed to take photos (unique opportunity in a FLW home). Absolutely gorgeous fireplace. Designed to burn logs upright in the Nordic fashion. This home is not filled with art glass. Frank was on a budget but has beautiful water features. Built right on the lake. Must see and not too far from Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo. read more

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Beautiful example of Frank's Prairie style design in Buffalo . Different tours available so check the website. Keep in mind Frank didn't design any of these homes for wheelchair access. However this house does have wheelchair access . The fine wood work and details in this house are beautiful. read more

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House - Museums Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I don't know how I've managed to be a lifelong Buffalonian without visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright Martin House! My best friend was in town and she had two vouchers for the one-hour tour of the house, so she suggested we go. The tour begins with a short video on Frank Lloyd Wright and Darwin D. Martin. From their, your guide takes you on a tour of the property. Our guide was knowledgeable and kind, and was super to make things a little more fun for a few young kids who were on our tour. The property is BEAUTIFUL. It's truly stunning. It really made me think about the Americanized architectural styles that most houses fall under, and how I wish the Wright style would have carried over more. The windows, the woodwork, everything was just gorgeous. I'd suggest coming in the summertime when the wisteria is in bloom, also because a portion of the tour is outside! If you haven't stopped by this Buffalo landmark, I highly suggest you come in for a visit! read more

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House - Museums Near Me - Buffalo, New York

My appreciation for Frank Lloyd Wright has really evolved this year, and I feel like I'm a different person than I was when I first visited the Martin House, and so I decided to update my review! The Martin House is absolutely "A Jewel on Jewett Parkway." Meticulously constructed at the turn of the century, it exhibits architecture that one would never really see back in the day, and architecture that you probably won't ever see in the future. It is a popular notion that Frank Lloyd Wright's career was funded by the Martin family, who gained their wealth through Darwin Martin's position as Secretary for the Larkin Soap Company. I finally had a chance to take a docent-led tour, and he said something along the lines of THIS house being Frank Lloyd Wright's Opus. And though I haven't been to any other FLW sites outside of Buffalo, it's apparent that there was a lot of time and love put into the design of this house. The house itself has been restored to its former 1907 self, a "Prairie Style" home. Earthy tones throughout the house, combined with the "Tree of Life" glass windows and mosaic designs inside make this home truly at one with nature. There are still a good handful of original pieces throughout the house, though a lot of furniture and structures were lost or destroyed through the years, and replicated in their place. As it sits now restoration is absolutely complete, and what's cool is they finished the gardens/landscaping! If you've visited the house before, I would highly recommend returning to check out this beautiful, newest addition. I only took the hour tour, and I'm honestly kind of regretting not taking the 2-hour. If you have the time to do it, I would definitely recommend it. The amount of detail the docents here go into about every aspect of the house is absolutely incredible. It does my heart good to know that there's an incredibly vast amount of love being put into the care of the home now, far better treatment than it's had since it was originally abandoned by Isabelle after Darwin Martin passed away. Some tips for visitors: - No photography is allowed inside of the house, except for in the Pergola. Photos of the outside are allowed. - Quiet with the cell phones! - Absolutely ask questions, the docents are incredibly knowledgeable! - There are stairs to go up and down throughout the house, so I wouldn't recommend it to people who have a hard time getting around. - You can order your tickets ahead of time or purchase them at the Visitors' Center (though, I recommend buying in advance!) I'm really looking forward to visiting again. read more

My cousin recently graduated grad school in Buffalo so I took a trip and had some time to sight see. My favorite place I visited in town was Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House. FLR is perhaps America's most well-known architect. He has properties across the country, including his home in Buffalo. I purchased tickets online the night before and visited in the afternoon. Outside the property, there are quite a few beautiful sculptures created by a Japanese artist. They're spread out throughout the grounds so make sure to catch them all! Once you walk inside the building where you check in, you first watch a short video about FLR. Like a museum, there is a ton of information you can read about him before taking a short walk to visit his home. You receive a self-guided tour with information about each room that is part of the tour. With that being said, there are employees spread out throughout the home who are eager to answer any questions you might have. The architecture in his home is beautiful. A lot of symmetry and parallelism. There are also Eastern influences, mostly Japanese, as FLR spent time in the land of the sun. Like Japanese homes, there aren't doors in between rooms and there's a ton of natural light that comes inside the home. My favorite area was the garden area which is just stunning. It's so relaxing and I'm sure would make for a lovely spot to meditate. The self-guided tour ends with the gift shop. All in all, you can get through it all in about an hour. A must visit in Buffalo! read more

As a tour chaperone at the Martin House Complex, I've found dozens of examples of Frank Lloyd Wright's genius. People from all over the world come to see this masterpiece of detail, art glass, materials and manipulation of space and light. Everyone leaves the tours feeling happier and educated about architecture, Buffalo history, and the lifelong friendship between an architect and his client. Don't miss this gem! read more

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House - Darwin Martin House's Carriage House seen from the Pergola - Museums Near Me - Buffalo, New York

We enjoyed viewing the outside of this amazing property in Buffalo, NY! Sadly, tours were not available inside due to a private event. The outside grounds were gorgeous. As always, the architecture was amazing! We will definitely need to return when we are able to tour. read more

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Awesome! I have visited many of FLW's house throughout the country and what they have done to resurrect the Martin House is fantastic. I last toured it about 10 years ago when they were just starting on some of the major renovation work. Returning was high on our list of things to do so we made an online reservation for the one hour tour and lucked out when we got Michael as our docent. He was excellent! Great stories and knowledge. We saw another more private tour at the same time and that guide barely talked so we felt fortunate. A must see for anyone interested in history and architecture and not just fans of FLW. read more

Highly recommend the 2hour tour with Michael Wahl. Wonderful quiet passion about Frank Lloyd Wright and this house. Such an amazing tour due in full to Michael's enthusiasm for the architecture. He is a retired teacher and he made our 8/7/24 tour extremely enjoyable. read more

I toured the Martin House as part of the All Day All Wright tour and this was clearly the highlight of the tour. I would strongly recommend making time to do one of the Martin House tours if you have an interest in Frank Lloyd Wright or architecture in general. The Martin House is a excellent example of Wright's Prairie style house, in this case it was two houses, related buildings and the gardens. The restoration that has been undertaken has done a great job of bringing the Martin House back to its glory. The introductory video at the new visitor center did a great job of setting up the relationship between Wright and Martin and giving us a basis for the tour. The docent we had was excellent as well, keeping the group moving, giving us information, answering questions and showing off the house. Well worth your time to see this architectural masterpiece. read more

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What a treat it was to see this stunning property! It's hard to believe that for 17 years it sat vacant, and fell into disrepair and suffered vandalism. So happy that the state of NY and BU raised the funds to restore the house back to its original splendor. Sadly we could take no photos-- never got a straight answer as to why, but I have never seen a property as incredible as this. We took the one hour tour for 19 pp. it started with a short film in the museum headquarters next to the house and then the house , first floor only. If you are in the Buffalo area , make sure you make it a point to see the genius of Frank Lloyd Wright read more

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Intriguing. It was restored beautifully. The grounds were well kept. We had a great tour guide (wish I could remember her name). A must see in Buffalo. read more

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House - Museums Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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A beautiful example of a great architect's work. Interesting biography of the owner of the house too. Although we didn't make tour reservations we were able to wait 30 minutes and take the next tour. Definitely recommend! read more

I'm a huge fan of FLW so this was a must view when I arrived for a wedding. I convinced my bro and a friend to join me and we rented a car. It was their first intro to Wright's architecture and they were impressed. Each home I visit by him is a pleasure and I'm delighted they've maintained his treasure. We were given a history of the family that lived there and shown each of the rooms. It is kept in very good shape and a bit of furniture remained. It was a nice diversion from the family. read more

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House - FLW Martin house. - Museums Near Me - Buffalo, New York

The reason I'm giving four stars and not five has nothing to do with the brilliance of Frank Lloyd Wright's work or the beauty of this place. I highly recommend this to anyone visiting Buffalo or living in NY. The tour was informative and I had a great time. The reason for four stars instead of five is actually the docent who lead the tour. Firstly, she was only wearing a face shield and not a mask like everyone else was on the tour. Also, she acted like it was a huge inconvenience to do so. I would have ignored all of that (let's face it, by now we are all used to people complaining about a piece of cloth on their faces as if it's made out of solid metal) but what really got my goat was the following two things: 1. In the entire two and a half hour tour wherein the docent gave us, I will admit, some really interesting bits of information, she completely failed to mention that Wright was deeply inspired by Japan and Japanese style architecture. I think that omission is egregious- specially since there is currently (and at the time of this tour) a temporary sculpture exhibit on the grounds by a Japanese artist, BECAUSE OF THE HUGE INFLUENCE JAPAN EXERTED ON WRIGHT! 2. What REALLY had me irritated is that while explaining the 'organic' style of architecture that was Wright's hallmark (that is, where rooms just organically flow into each other and walls are noticeably absent) she said that it's because 'in America we are supposed to get to move around freely from one place to the other.' This is not only blatantly false (Wright was almost certainly not motivated by 'American freedom' in his designs) it also leaves a bad taste in the mouth. There is no place for chest-thumping, jingoistic displays of misplaced patriotism while appreciating art. Regardless, please don't let this deter you from visiting this breathtaking masterpiece. Hopefully you will get a different docent than someone, very aptly, named 'Karen'. read more

Let me start this one by explaining my need to try and compartmentalize this review as I'm sort of torn on what to rate this experience. On one hand you have the actual house complex which is easy enough to appreciate on it's own. But on the other hand you have the guide (sorry I mean docent since this very much a high society type of place) who you're paying to obviously help you interpret what you're seeing to gain a more fuller understanding of everything. What happens when the house exceeds your expectations but the docent does not? Let me elaborate. The tour starts at the Greatbatch Pavilion which is the all glass building next to the house. There you check in and get your wristband, use the loo, look at the excellent displays and wait for the short movie which explains a little about Wright, Darwin Martin and their collaboration on the house and surrounding buildings. From there you're led outside to the street to see the house from the front while getting some explanation (more on that later) before going to the front door then around to four different spots on the first floor. After that you go thru the pergola into the conservatory and finally into the carriage house which initially was the stables except it's now the gift shop which has a lot of things Wright related, most at fairly steep prices. Some Wikipedia style factoids: * The average house in the surrounding area cost 5K at the time. Wright's budget was 30K and he spent 125K before everything was said and done. That's around three million in today's dollars. That number does not include Graycliff which was the Martin's summer home on Lake Erie. * The complex consists of six interconnected buildings designed to be seen as one. The Martin House, the pergola which connects to the conservatory and carriage house with chauffeur's quarters and stables, the Barton House, a smaller residence for Martin's sister and brother-in-law, and a gardener's cottage added after the house was finished. * Darwin Martin for all his wealth at one point died penniless and his family eventually abandoned the complex not long after his death. * From 1937-1954 the house was vacant having reverted to the city of Buffalo for back taxes. * In 1962 the original pergola, conservatory and carriage house were demolished. What you see today are reproductions that were finished around ten years ago. * The end cost of the twenty year restoration will be north of fifty million dollars when everything is said and done at some point late this year or early next year. Hence the expensive ticket prices. Where our tour went a bit sour is in regards to our docent. I'll leave his name out of this so as not to make it personal but his speaking style and volume level are not ideal. Part of this isn't a big deal when you're in the house with just your group looking at the kitchen or the family room but when your outside in the pergola or at the beginning of the tour when your walking to the front door or in front of the front door or when there's another tour in a different room I'm not sure anyone really heard much unless you were standing right beside him. I'm not saying you need to have Jim Carrey leading the tour but you also don't want Ben Stein on a Quaalude either. If you go: There are multiple tour options depending on your level of interest, love of FLW and your bank account because the tours are not cheap. The primary tour is the Martin House Tour which is one hour and tackles the first floor rooms of the main Martin House, the pergola, conservatory and the carriage house. Adults $19, Senior $17, Student $14 Other options exist like a two hour tour that will show you more of the house and some of the other surrounding buildings all the way up to a private tour that clocks in at a staggering $450. Reservations especially on weekends are mandatory. I made our reservation early in the morning same day for a Saturday tour and it plus most of the day's other tours were near sell outs. Pictures of the interior of the house are of course a no-no unless you're taking the once a month photography tour. The website lists the reasoning for this as being for safety and security reasons but let's be honest that's a load of crap because the real reason is that if there were tons of interior photos online it would likely cut down on attendance. Parking is a bit odd as the house is located in a residential area and in essence you need to fight/search/shark for a space the same as the locals are who live in the neighborhood along with others who are there for a tour and if you come on a weekend potentially people coming to the church across the street for a service/function. The website lists another option which is to park in a Buffalo Zoo lot a few blocks away for five bucks to which I say nay nay on paying to park in general. read more

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A beautiful prairie style architectural wonder from the eccentric architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Extensive, beautiful gardens drape this property in flowers and greenery. I could not tour the interior but the exterior is immaculate and well cared for. read more

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The Martin House is a Buffalo treasure that should be explored. This house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright one of the most famous architects in the world. We are so lucky that our community managed to save and restore this one of a kind house. "There should be as many style houses as there are people". Frank Lloyd Wright. We took the two hour tour as we wanted to spend a good amount of time exploring the house and to learn as much as possible about FLW's vision for the Martin house. I makes you wonder why we settle for our cookie cutter homes and why we don't create homes that allows us to appreciate nature. FLW pays attention to every small detail and every piece of wood, glass and design is thoughtful design. They ask that we take no pictures of the inside as they like to have the public experience the home for themselves and each tour funds the continuous restoration of the home. I hope you enjoy the hike as much as we did. read more

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Arrive early to park on the street, and walk. The main Martin house is in a neighborhood near the zoo. The home has been restored, and it is stunning in a Wright way. Again, the story of what happens to a Wright home when the family can no longer afford it, or pay the taxes, is incredible. Tickets or memberships are purchased online to get a reservation. Meet at the new pavilion to get your tickets at Will Call. You will view a short film and read a timeline. The one hour tour lasted a little longer, and you end at the gift shop. The exterior and interior Wright detail is explained. You just want to sit a spell and feel the home's history. Visit the other three Wright structures in the area. read more

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House - Every feature was designed around a purpose. - Museums Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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