Planning a trip to Buffalo...

EJ · Post by EJ » Sun Mar 18, 2012 9:16 pm

I've toured FLW sites all over the country, but this will be my first time in the Buffalo area. We will be visiting relatives in Rochester and I will have one day to myself to explore.

I will surely visit the Darwin Martin House (the in depth tour) and would like to visit the Larkin pier, Blue Sky Mausoleum and Graycliff.

I have not hauled my maps out, but I was wondering if anyone has tips or a serviceable itinerary they could share. Your input is appreciated! I mean, am I nuts to try all of these in one day?

I will do a drive by of the FLW house in Rochester, but I can do that another day on the trip.

Thank you!

Eric

pharding · Post by **pharding** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:11 pm

I would skip the Blue Sky Mauselem. They built the second scheme that was rejected by FLW and Darwin Martin.

The Louis Sullivan's Guaranty Building is wonderful. There are two other FLW Houses that are worth a drive by.

Wrightgeek · Post by **Wrightgeek** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:36 pm

EJ-

If I remember correctly, you are Eric, the attorney from the Detroit area that I met in Cleveland at the Wright Chat gathering at the Great Lakes Brewpub. Am I on the right track?

Anyway, if I were you I would definitely do Darwin Martin and Greycliff. You may want to reach out to Pat Mahoney at Greycliff, as he may be able to offer you some expert guidance on your visit to Buffalo. FYI, Patrick is on the board at both Greycliff and at the FLWBC, and he is one of the moderators here on the Wright Chat forum. He is also a very successful architect in the Buffalo area, and has recently written and released a book about FLW's Davidson Residence, which I can heartily recommend. In addition, Pat is also the lead architect on the project at the Buffalo Transportation Musuem which is constructing FLW's original plan for an automotive service station designed for Buffalo. And no, I am not related to Pat in any way, and I am not his agent or publicist either.

That being said, I have to say that I would probably skip the Larkin pier, due to the time crunch that you are under. There is really not that much to see besides the pier (which was part of the wall surrounding the building and not part of the actual building) and a placard on the site with very basic info about the Larkin Building/complex/company. I would instead do drive-bys of the Davidson and Heath Residences, both of which are easily viewed from the street and are both in reasonably close proximity to the Blue Sky Mausoleum. If you go to see the mausoleum, stop into the office at the cemetery for directions and info. If you are interested, they also sell a nice book about the mausoleum in the office as well.

If you have any time left, you might try to see the FLW Boathouse which was constructed several years ago. It has been roundly criticized by the FLW community, and I have yet to see it myself. But the next time I am in the area, I will definitely have a look at it, and I will make my own own judgements from personal observation. One last thing you must try to see is Louis Sullivan's outstanding Guaranty Building in downtown Buffalo as it is worth a look for sure.

Hope this lengthy diatribe helps you to plan/sort out your visit in some way. Whatever you do get around to see, savor it, enjoy yourself, and let us know about what you got to see once you return safely to Michigan. Have fun Eric, wish I was going with you!

And oh BTW, I almost forgot somethng. GO BUCKS!

EJ · Post by EJ » Sun Mar 18, 2012 11:39 pm

Indeed, Kevin, it is I. Has it really been a year since that rather spectacular tour in the Buckeye State? What a wonderful day that was. Michelle also sends her greetings to you and Christine. She was very excited to see Urban Meyer take over the reins at OSU, and I want the Buckeyes to win everytime they are not playing Michigan State. But I digress.

I am very excited about this tour, and appreciate yours and Paul's tips. And Paul, while I appreciate the sentiment of your comments about Blue Sky, I would like to check it out, although it will move lower down the priority list behind the houses.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Mahoney at the Wright and Like in Milwaukee a few years back, and will look into contacting him. I very much want to see Greycliff (forgive my previous misspelling, please). Other than the California block houses, I have not seen a FLW design from this era, and Greycliff has always struck me as a bit conventional for a FLW house. But, as everyone on this board knows, there is no substitute for the seeing it for yourself. Putting the Greycliff project into the context of FLW designing for a demanding client at a time when he had little going on, I am very interested to see the results firsthand. Is the restoration still ongoing? Is it primarily finished?

Without getting into a debate about "real v. fake" FLW built projects, what about the rowing house? Worth a look?

Thanks again for the advice.

classic form · Post by **classic form** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 4:33 am

I'm driving to Rochester myself this morning from Kalamazoo, driving through Canada and getting spit back into the states in the Falls/Buffalo area. Very nice to find this thread this morning before heading out. Just wanted to peak my head out and let everyone know that lurkers exist and appreciate.

jmcnally · Post by **jmcnally** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 10:45 am

Buffalo isn't too large - I was able to do the Martin tour (although they were still in construction phase, so it may have been shortened a bit) and do drive-bys of the other houses. My photos appear at http://www.flwright.us/FLWstructures.htm (numbers 90, 100, 103, 105, 149 - corresponding to Prof. Storrer's numbers). If I were to visit again, I would try to take in the other sites. After all, how often do you end up in Buffalo?

Since we seem to be using this board to promote our local NCAA picks, Go Green! (MSU '79)

jim · Post by **jim** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 11:58 am

The Buffalo parkway system (on which the Heath House is located) was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.

In Rochester, Louis Kahn's First Unitarian Church is also worth visiting.

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 1:46 pm

Across the street from Guaranty is St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral (1849)by Richard Upjohn (architect of Trinity Church in NYC) ... though it was rebuilt in 1890 after a disastrous fire with architect Robert Gibson. It's surrounded by Church, Pearl, Erie and Main Streets.

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 1:51 pm

Another modern masterpiece is Kleinhans Music Hall (1940) at Symphony Circle, designed by Eliel Saarinen with son Eero.