The last time I toured Graycliff it was almost 10 years ago and the house was under significant renovations. When I went back today for the tour, I was impressed to see every room restored! Our tour group only had 4 people total and took us about an hour and 20 mins to go through both floors of the house, and view the grounds. We really enjoyed everything, especially our knowledgeable tour guide and friendly gift shop attendant, Hannah! We'd love to come back again for a special event once the new visitor center opens in February. read more

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I've never been to this museum, but still think a museum membership here is an amazing deal. Then why post a review... Reciprocal benefits. This has been one of the most useful museum passes that we have ever purchased. The card allows admission to over a thousand museums, art galleries, historic homes, including Frank Lloyd Wright masterpieces, and cultural centers both in the US and abroad. The Martins Pass is a fantastic deal at $100 for 2 adults and children under 18 in a household. It includes five reciprocal benefit programs: the Time Travelers Reciprocal Program, the Empire State Museums Reciprocal Program, the Frank Lloyd Wright National Reciprocal Sites Membership Program, the North American Reciprocal Museums Program (NARM) and the Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums Program (ROAM). They also have occasional discounts off their membership passes. Some of the museums that we have visited via the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM) include, but are definitely not limited to, the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, Canada, the High Museum and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia, the Richard Driehaus Museum in Chicago, and the Cabildo, the Beauregard-Keyes House and Presbytere in New Orleans. The ROAM (Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums) has also been useful. Favorite museums include the Atlanta History Center and Swan House in Atlanta, the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Sculpture Garden, and the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. The Oscar statuettes for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are so cute. Nice to be able to visit The Guggenheim in Manhattan by reserving online with the FLW benefits. We've also been able to visit the grand mansions in Newport, the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, and the Honolulu Museum of Art. The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco houses one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world. Simply stunning. And of course, the annual pass will give you unlimited access to Graycliff. Found this museum and museum pass while looking at museums near Buffalo, NY, for my friend Linda M. Make a donation at the museum or buy a souvenir at the gift shop. Special thanks to Ryan in the museum membership office. It has been a great membership for our family and a nice gift for our friends. read more

Frank Lloyd Wright's Graycliff - Celebrate the 200th birthday of Erie County with 20% off all memberships - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Derby, New York

First visit here. We were lucky enough to hear about a deal for Erie County residences for 50% off all tickets so we decided to take the 2 hour tour, we'll worth it even at full price! there Are still renovations being completed (long process) but they're now pretty limited to the water front area. Though this does include a fence along the shoreline that blocks the view just a bit. it was so interesting seeing and hearing about the differences in Graycliff and the Darwin Martin House, both by Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW). They're totally different. Can you imagine having so much money to be able to do that? FLW designed this house thinking about Mrs Darwin, doing things like making sure there was plenty of light and wider halls because of her limited sight. He's also known to want to design things that way he wants such as telling Mrs Darwin no when she asked for chandeliers. He told her it would take away from the light coming in and the beautiful views. The views are amazing. I couldn't stop looking out the windows at the lake all through the house! Overall I loved hearing the history of the house along with hearing more about the Martin family. Well worth our time. Next stop is a short trip down the road to Pa to see FLW Fallingwater House. 2022-30 read more

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Stopped here on our way back from Toronto and after having gone to the Martin house earlier in the day, this was a nice choice as an additional one to go to while in the area. I think that for the most part - this was a nice place to also visit. I liked the look of the house but making people wearing protective gear was obscene . Especially when one lady refused to do it - and one one made her. I would recommend this as a stop. read more

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Thursday nights in the summer for the market are an experience to not miss. Great vendors and a $10 donation gets you into the first floor of the estate. read more

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I signed up the night before for the 2-hour tour. Splurge on the 2-hour tour. You won't regret it. The tour had 3 people from the area, a couple from Philadelphia, and a couple from Wisconsin. Very intimate, and the perfect size. Everyone was a Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiast and had visited several of his houses, except for me. So both novices and experts alike will enjoy this. Our tour guide, Denise, was exceptional. She told us stories about the past inhabitants of the residence, geology, made it fascinating, so much so that I wanted her to continue to talk the entire day. The site is breathtaking with the first scene you see being the house, with the view of the lake next to it, and through it. The grounds are also great, and currently the tennis court is being restored. The entire house is restored. My favorite room was the room off the living room with the stone features and ivy plants indoors to make it feel like it was outdoors. If I lived there, I would grab a book and position myself near the windows. read more

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FANTASTIC. History buffs, architecture lovers, museum-goers, and Frank Lloyd Wright fans will absolutely LOVE Graycliff. After visiting the Filling Station at the Pierce-Arrow museum, I jumped right online and booked a tour at Graycliff. I don't know, something came over me and I had forgotten how intensely I love FLW's work and the history around him and the Darwin D. Martin family in Buffalo. This place is definitely a bit off the grid, 30 minutes from Buffalo but so worth the trip. It's tucked away in the lakeside neighborhoods of Derby, way back off the road and out of view. Also off the grid in the sense that I feel like not many people even know it exists! You book tours online; they offer 1-, 2-, and 3-hour tours of the grounds. I only booked the hour tour to dip my feet in. The grounds are clearly marked with a sign and have a gravel driveway for parking in. The M&T Bank Pavilion is where you go to check in for your tour, and also serves as the gift shop. I learned SO MUCH on this tour, that I'm already planning on returning in the summer. Now I've heard a lot about their restoration process over the years, but it seems like the main structures are definitely sound enough now to amaze and wow you. As of now the tennis court is under reconstruction, and the cliff behind the home has claimed the bridge to the beach and a stone bench to erosion. To see this building in such glory is truly remarkable. Our tour guide was absolutely amazing, pointing out small details in the structures we never would have noticed, providing insightful history on the estate and its' construction, and her pleasant attitude really kept our group interested and captivated! No question went unanswered, and we geeked out about FLW's architecture a whole after the tour. We lucked out on a spring day - it was relatively nice out, great for pictures. Touring this place is definitely best when it's clear, and you're better off visiting in the warmer months. The garden will be blooming by then, and the fountain in the front will be running. They also host Market at Graycliff here, with local artisans and food trucks starting in June! read more

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Last summer we were passing by FLW's Graycliff, and spontaneously decided to stop in a take a tour - we were VERY impressed. Tip: Buffalo's got some of the most diverse Frank Llyod Wright designs, and this site is quite historic. All of the landscape is beautifully integrated, and the horizontal lines & vistas are perfectly planned. The whole place sits atop an eighty-foot cliff overlooking Lake Erie - don't miss out; come check it out!! read more

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We are huge FLW geeks and just visited both Graycliff and the Martin campus in Buffalo for the second time. The first time was in the 90s, when both places still needed a lot of work. Anyway, today we did the extended (2-hr.) tour of Graycliff and I think they need to revamp the tour program. Two hours is far too long at this site, especially if it's hot and you can't stand around for long periods. (There's no seating in the front yard and very little inside the buildings.) Our guide spent the first *35* minutes keeping us standing outside in 80 degree weather while he talked about the flower beds, the trees, the gravel, the pond, and some Martin family lore that was not terribly interesting. I kept thinking, "Just let us into the g-d HOUSE already!" The ground floor of the house is very nice but the second floor is rather sparsely furnished, and the "Foster House" a.k.a. chauffeur's house was fairly bare, too. I see no reason why the "standard" one-hour tour can't cover both floors of the main house; then people who want to see the Foster House and spend more time in the gardens can spring for an "extended" tour, although I think 90 minutes would be PLENTY for that. read more

An absolute GEM of the community ! The history the architecture! The grounds are amazing ! Best views of the lake and sunset ! During summer they have festivals and vendor events shopping and food ! What a total blast ! The gift shop is priced very fairly and the workers are knowledgeable and friendly . Great place for a date ! Immersion in history and culture right here I. Wny read more

I've seen many home designs by this architect, and Graycliffe is a favorite. It was a project for Mrs. Martin along Lake Erie in Derby, N.Y. The house is full of Wright's visual designs, and this house is a comfortable home. The basic tour is a good hour. We took a walk around the grounds, understanding what Wright saw and the reasons for the house and driveway positions, the windows with the lake views, and the walls around the structures. Darwin Martin was a very rich man and died poor. The Martin story is interesting. Check the Foundation's website for tickets and consider a membership which is good for a year around the U. S. read more

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I knew about the Darwin Martin House in Buffalo but I did not know about the Graycliff house until a fellow yelper organized a group outing. The outing peeked my interest so my husband and I signed up. If you love archItecture and history you will enjoy this tour. The Greycliff House was also owned by the Martin family. This was their beautiful summer home overlooking Lake Erie. When you get your first look at the property, your imagination immediately goes back in time to the glory days of the 1920s. The grounds of the property are beautiful and a part of me was wished I waited to take the tour later in the spring to see flowers in bloom and the water feature turned on. Our guide was informative and shared interesting facts on the construction of the home. We had opted for the Basic Tour, which tours the first floor of the home and the outside grounds. If you want to see the second floor you will have to check out the 2 or 3 hour tours. Since, we knew we wanted to come back for the full tour and since we have yet to see the Darwin Martin House in Buffalo we decided to purchase the Greycliff membership. They were nice enough to reimburse us the money for our basic tour and put it towards the annual membership fee. The membership is good towards free or discount tours to 30 other Frank Lloyd Wright houses. This will be the year of Frank :) I will keep you posted on our Frank Lloyd Wright adventures. read more

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I did a tour of Graycliff as part of the All Day All Wright tour and while it was interesting, I thought that the tour we had was a bit lacking; this may have been that Graycliff was near the end of tour and we were running late so we did not get to see all of Graycliff. Located about a half hour South East of Buffalo on the Lake Erie shore, Graycliff was a summer home for the Martins and is therefore a sort of companion property to the Martin House. The highlights of Graycliff is the way its first floor is designed to spotlight Lake Erie and the Canadian shore. There is also a very nice fireplace and the kitchen and butler's pantry are interesting. The property is lacking in much of the detail work I have seen in other Wright design; in addition there is limited decor and furniture which makes other Wright properties so special. Graycliff is worth a visit if you a Wright completiest or if you are in the area, but there are more interesting Wright designs available for tour; hopefully this will change as the restoration continues. read more

What a great place full of history and the grounds are amazing, my niece had her wedding there. I live very close by just up the hill.

Beautiful historic home with excellent tours and knowledgeable docents. Be sure to support the Thursday Market. Free entry to the grounds and live music. Great place to watch the sunset over Lake Erie. read more

Frank Lloyd Wright's Graycliff - Thursday Market with live music. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Derby, New York

It's been years since I had seen progress on the restoration and it's absolutely terrific progress, even the grounds and landscaping. Roger was our docent for the 1 hr tour, who patiently answered questions. If you've not been to this property, it's lovely and worth a little drive to see and learn about its fascinating history. During the summer they host Friday food trucks and music. Check on the time to enjoy this summer treat. read more

Frank Lloyd Wright's Graycliff - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Derby, New York

Graycliff is a work in progress. The Graycliff Conservancy is doing the "Wright Thing" and slowly attempting a restoration. Although not restored (yet? ever?) to its original glory, this is a house of significant local importance and beauty. It was the summer house of the Martin family whose Buffalo house Wright also designed. And, because Mrs. Martin bemoaned the lack of light in her Buffalo home, this one in Derby is practically all windows. From standing outside the foyer, one can see all the way past the house to the cliffs overlooking Lake Erie and the seventy foot drop to Erie's shore. It is laudable that a group of dedicated volunteers is undertaking to preserve this bit of Wright's legacy. Don't go expecting a polished historical landmark. Rather, go with an open mind, heart, and imagination. Most of the place is "original" for prior to being owned by the Conservancy, and after being turned over by the Martins, this was a Piarist Monks' monastery and school. As the tour guide said, although the monks didn't have the money to maintain the house, they also didn't have the money to muck it up. So, expect a bit of shamble and embrace it. The volunteer docents give basic level tours, making the atmosphere quite homey and cozy. For an extra homey touch, they offered complimentary-tour umbrellas as it had started to rain. Aw. Although the interior is a bit shoddy (they are working on it!), my first thought upon walking in was that this was a place that I could live. It was quite simple for it's day, coming in under a modest 3000 square feet - much smaller than the average summer home in the area. I could definitely live there, although the ambient temperature would necessitate a slanket most of the time. Unfortunately, I could not afford to re-furb it -- from the pace of the current restoration it must be quite an expensive undertaking. If you are a big Wright fan, consider taking the master architectural tour, led by one of the board's chairpersons. On this tour, you get to see the basement which houses an impressive wine collection (thanks to the Piarist monks who knew their grapes) and the recently redone carriage house. Next time that I'm in the area, I will definitely spring for it, come armed with my slanket, and see if perhaps I can get "lost" on the grounds. read more

Frank Lloyd Wright's Graycliff - Graycliff - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Derby, New York

We decided to take a weekend trip to Buffalo to visit the two Martin houses. (I'd seen the Martin house in Buffalo a few years ago.) We took the 2-hour tours in both houses. The guide at Graycliff was very knowledgeable and friendly. It's very interesting to see both houses, as Graycliff was built 20 years after the Buffalo house. Graycliff is more in Wright's Japanese style and is a great example of his architecture responding to the wishes of the client and to the site on which it is located. Strongly recommend that anyone seeing the Buffalo house add this house to the itinerary. read more

After touring the Martin House earlier this year, my husband and I were looking forward to visiting Graycliff. We took his parents with us to Graycliff, even though they haven't been to the Martin House, because we figured it would still be a great tour regardless. If you skip the rest of the review, let me just say if you only visit one house, either the Martin House or Graycliff, go to the Martin House. If you visit both houses, go to the Martin House first, and go to Graycliff knowing that it's not as far along in its restoration. In general, tour guides I've had do a fine, good or excellent job. Unfortunately, our Graycliff guide was far from the best. We booked the in-depth tour, which is supposed to be about two hours long. Our tour wound up concluding half an hour early, and might have even ended an hour early if people in our group didn't ask a lot of questions at the end. Our tour guide was clearly very passionate and knowledgeable about the house and its restoration, but she kept starting with one train of thought, and then jumping to another, without returning to the first thing she had said. At first, I hoped that maybe she was just a little nervous, and would get better as the tour continued, but this was consistent throughout the tour. She hustled us through the rooms, and I would have preferred if she allowed time for questions before we left each room, instead of just asking us if we had questions at the very end. Our group was fairly large, with 11 people, and our guide would often start talking about a room before everyone in the group had a chance to enter, so if you were at the back of the group, you might not hear her or understand what she was talking about. We were in a similar sized tour group at the Martin House, and the Martin House used two volunteers with our group--one guide did the talking, but the other guide was helpful in bringing up the back of the group, and the first guide only started talking once everyone was in the new room, including his partner. This system worked well at the Martin House, and I'd strongly recommend that they do the same at Graycliff. The best part of the house in its current stage of restoration is its big windows (though no art glass here) and lakefront location. We visited on a nice day, and it was just stunning: blue sky, blue water. But while most of the ground floor of the Martin House is pretty much fully restored now, Graycliff is farther behind. Even the furnished rooms are far from done. One positive note is that the photography policy at Graycliff is not as strict as at the Martin House. Indoor photography is OK. But I wound up taking mostly outdoor shots anyway, since the interior is so unfinished. I still think Graycliff is worth a visit, but only if you've already been to the Martin House, and are aware that Graycliff isn't on par with that. And hopefully you'll have a better tour guide. read more

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Great museum experience. Beware the driveway in winter. Better take your Jeep or Subaru. The gift shop is stellar. Jewelry made from the materials restored on the property. A heritage site. This is not the most impressive, however every Frank Lloyd Wright house is a borderline religious experience. Very impressive talent. And inspiring to say the least. read more

Graycliff is a wonderful place to visit. The docents are very knowledgeable and the exterior of the building is almost completely renovated BUT unless you want to see the "before" of a renovation, I'd wait another year to visit. We did love it, but there's little to see inside at this point except bare rooms. They have grand plans and the estate should be wonderful by the time it's completely renovated. For us, coming from Rochester, well, my wife loved it and thought the trip worth it as we did other things but for me, I'll wait to go back and might advise the same. Reservations are a must by the way. And a 2 hour in-depth tour is provided though quite frankly, I agree with our docent that right now, without the interior being finished, looking at a lot of small rooms on the second floor that are completely unrenovated, it's not worth it. You need to be a real Wright fan! read more

Tour guide was knowledgeable. Very interesting property, home, and design choices. It's a shame that several groups that previously owned the home made changes. It is under a state of renovation. When visiting, please be understanding about the renovation, renovation costs, and the amount of history and detail that must be considered to restore this home back to its original FLW vision. read more

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Graycliff was the summer estate for the Darwin B. Martin family designed by Frank Lloyd Wright with construction beginning in 1926 and ending in 1929. The estate was actually designed for Martin's wife, Isabelle, and it is well-known that she had the most "influence" on the design of the structure (as much "influence" as Frank would allow- he was notorious for being very controlling of his work, and for good reason!). We visited Graycliff in November of 2008, on a sunny but cold afternoon. The house immediately stood out as a a well-preserved example of Wright's work, and it is a beauty. Unfortunately, the interior didn't fare as well, and is still undergoing quite a bit of reconstruction. Unlike the main Darwin Martin house built for the Martin family in Buffalo, this tour actually allows you to see the entire house; inside and out, upstairs and down. They even allow you to walk out on the porch built off the Martins' upstairs bedroom. It overlooks the water and the courtyard designed at breathtaking angles to promote a serene and harmonious view from the porch above. Isabelle's sight was beginning to fail her, so at her request Frank made the house to conduct copious amounts of light throughout; when you walk through the hallways you are surrounded by rows of windows, and the sitting room and living room are also encapsulated by large windows that allow for maximum light exposure. The house really is stunning, and is also worth the trip for any Wright fan. In fact, I recommend this estate more than the main Darwin house (for the time being, while the Martin house is undergoing major restoration and much of it is blocked off to tours), because of the fact that you get to see nearly all of it. Furthermore, the structure of the house is mostly original (unlike the Martin house in Buffalo which is 2/3 newly reconstructed). read more

Took the combination Graycliff/Martin House tour. Check the websites-(you might have to dig a bit or call) - We saved $11 for the two adults by doing this. And the wonderful folks at Graycliff pointed out that the kids are really students so they got a deal too. The same clients, the same architect, two different sites and two solutions that are unique and worth the trip. Wright gets (and cultivated) the credit for his genius, but maybe the Martins should gets some props for going through the design-bid-build process with Wright twice. It could not have been easy. It seems that maybe Mr. Martin had a bit of a man crush on Wright and let him go nuts in Buffalo (he wanted a house and got a COMPLEX for crying out loud), but Mrs Martin was having none of it at Graycliff. Come to Derby and see what the architect could do with a more demanding client. The results are no less amazing than in in Buffalo. Stripped of the art glass, the roman brick, over studied trim detailed, Wright had to rely on his ability to work with space, siting and light to embody this place with a bit of magic. As someone whose been to a number of Wright buildings, this one reminds me most of Wright own house, Tailesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. The way the tours are handled are as unique as the houses. The Graycliff folks are looking for $5m and the Martin House folks need $50. The Graycliff guides seem to be geniunely interested in the history of the place and the relation between the Martins and Wright. The Martin house folks, while absolutely professional, seem slightly more proud of the effort that went into the restoration effort. Come on Buffalo, take the drive to Derby and see this. We included in as part of our trip to Niagara Falls. Reservations are required and they keep the tours small so you really get an fantastic experience. Now can someone explain why the Larkin Building was demolished? Why Buffalo, why! read more

It's always been cool to think that I grew up about 5 miles from this place & never knew it existed until a friend told me about it when I was about 21. Then I took a tour of this place on 7/7/11 & it was amazing. Not quite as stunning as the Darwin Martin Complex in the city of Buffalo, but this house is really incredible. The tour guide we had was very good, very knowledgeable & a volunteer. Quite a lot of restoration is going on there but there's still a lot to see. Be sure to see the "Fern Room", the light pouring in the windows is quite spectacular. I'd love the chance to go there & sit in that room & read for hours on end! Tours are available for this place and the Darwin Martin house in the city of Buffalo & the price is well worth it, $26 for the basic tours of both & there are other options above those. You can conceivably do both in one day but it's probably better to plan for 2 days. read more

Graycliff was in the middle of a substantial renovation during our visit. As a result, the place was a shambles, with virtually none of the furnishings in place and construction workers and construction equipment scattered everywhere outside. They're doing this renovation "on the cheap" and, when done, it will NOT live up to the quality of the other Frank Lloyd Wright properties such as Fallingwater or Kentuck Knob or Taliesin. Our tour guide here was decent, but she couldn't make up for the deficiencies of the poorly-done renovation and the way-too-many-construction distractions. We've toured several FLW properties, and without question, this was the one and only one that disappointed us. read more

This was one of the houses wifey and I visited while on our vacation to NE, NY, PA this year. Unfortunately, Greycliff has not been restored to any great degree yet. This house had to be absolutely gorgeous when in its prime. Sitting right on the cliffs, overlooking the lake...beautiful views from all the rooms! Open the doors/windows and have natural air conditioning off the lake...wow...I really wanted to like this house a lot...and...after it is restored more, I am sure I would edge this up to 5 stars. If in the Buffalo area...and into Frank Lloyd Wright...check it out...it is quite a bit different from the Martin house in Buffalo proper...and adds to the list of FLW houses to visit! read more

What a fun tour this was! The weather was beautiful, which helped. But it was really cool to see the ongoing progress of this restoration project. I went in not knowing much of anything about Wright but was with two people who knew quite a lot. We all had a blast and I left with a significantly increased appreciation for Wright's architecture. The tour did go a little long but we didn't mind. Parking is easy and even though the tickets are a little pricey, you feel like you're contributing to the restoration. Doing this tour back to back with the Darwin Martin house was cool because you got to see very clearly the architectural differences. Even as a Frank Lloyd Wright newb, as you might say, I left feeling like I had some sense of an overarching narrative. Even just at Graycliff, I began to understand the narrative of that house and its surroundings. If you're looking for a fun thing to do, I definitely recommend it. read more

Pretty basic building, not the high-style of most of Wright's other open to the public buildings: I'd say pass unless you are a die-hard fan. read more

Great historic site. Buffalo is home to the most diverse collection of Frank Llyod Wright designs. This location was recently refurbished to its splendor. This property is not to be missed. read more

The house and guest house were under complete renovations when we were there. The story of what happened to the house after is was sold us heartbreaking bc it was sold to a group priests from Europe who painted everything with 6 coats of paint. The cliff is also eroding and it will cost a bundle to fix it. While the resorations are almost done, I would recommend seeing it as it is now and going back once finished. read more

A Buffalo bonus! This rustic summer "cottage" is nowhere near as special a property as the nearby Darwin Martin House; however, there are still lots of fascinating Frank Lloyd Wright touches throughout. The house is in the early stages of restoration, so it takes a lot of imagination to picture what it looked like in its heyday, but we found the one-hour basic tour to be interesting and informative. read more

Paid for the basic tour but our docent didn't show up so we got the extended tour for no additional charge. Our docent for the extended tour was Maureen Meyer - she was fantastic! Very informative and enjoyable. She has a lot of folklore and tales about the house and its residents. I'm not much of a history buff (my husband wanted to see it) but I really enjoyed the tour. read more

I was just here this summer and this place is breathtaking. The renovations are not yet complete but this place still is amazing. The tour guide we had was completely awesome and had tons of knowledge about Mr Wright. I am a fan of his work at Falling water and the Westcott house. This house in Particular was the prelude to Falling water and if not for the Martin's refusal of a water fall here would have BEEN Falling Water. The view here is awesome the house is awesome, so why don't you be awesome and go there and learn something about one of the greatest architects of all times. read more