A Remarkable Partnership

A Remarkable Partnership. Martin House . Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect. , The Martin House is the result of an exceptional collaboration between Darwin D. Martin and Frank Lloyd Wright. Martin was a highly accomplished business and civic leader, while Wright was an architect who, at the time, was relatively unknown outside architectural circles in Chicago and the Midwest., In 1902, Martin invited Wright to Buffalo to discuss the design of an administrative headquarters for his firm, the Larkin Company , a burgeoning soap manufacturing and mail-order conglomerate. He was also interested in building a new home for his wife Isabelle and their family. Martin recognized Wright's genius and commissioned him for both projects , by far the two most important works of the architect's early career. Martin entrusted Wright with a nearly unlimited budget for the construction of his city estate; in turn Wright designed a unique residential complex where buildings integrate with the site and the surrounding landscape., Martin became a reliable patron and fervent supporter of Wright's. Martin and Wright's enduring friendship was built on mutual respect, and it had a lasting impact on the architect throughout his prolific professional life., [Photo captions, top and center, read] , . left Darwin D. Martin (1865-1935), . right Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), . Construction crew at Martin House, October 1904, Larkin Administration Building , Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to design the Larkin Administration Building, his first major commercial project. Completed in 1906, it was celebrated for incorporating many technical innovations that also provided for the welfare of the company's employees. Although it was demolished in 1950, the building is considered a monument of twentieth century architecture., [Photo caption reads] The Larkin Administration Building, c. 1906, Graycliff , In later years, Martin asked Wright to design a summer cottage for his family on the bluffs above the shore of Lake Erie. Completed in 1931, Graycliff was built in Derby, New York, 22 miles southwest of the Martin House. Together, the Martin House and Graycliff represent the unique, long-lasting relationship of one architect and one family., [Photo caption reads] Graycliff exterior viewed from south, after 1930