Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House Is a Prairie-Style Masterpiece

Date:

Share post:


A sunburst fireplace in the Martin House

Martin’s brother, William E. Martin, lived in Oak Park, Illinois, where Wright himself was still living. William recommended Wright to his brother, stating in a 1902 letter, courtesy of the University at Buffalo Archives, “He is not a fraud, nor a ‘crank,’ [he’s] highly educated and polished, a straightforward business-like man with high ideals.” Later stating in the same letter, “He would be pleased indeed to design your house—and further he is the man to build your office.”

William’s inkling that Wright was the man for both jobs was proven correct. Wright was hired to design the complex for the Martin family and the Larkin Administration Building, which was completed in 1906. The Administration Building was Wright’s first office building design. It was unfortunately demolished in 1950, though remnants remain at 664 Swan Street, about a ten-minute drive from the Martin House.

Architectural details of the Martin House

Standing on Jewett Parkway, across the street from the Darwin Martin House, the property looks, at first glance, quite like another of Wright’s famous designs, the Robie House in Chicago. The location of its front door isn’t readily apparent and the building is low-slung and built of Roman brick, just like the home located in the Windy City’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Once you step onto the property and get a glimpse of its many other structures, though, it’s clear that the Martin House complex is in a league of its own. Between six Wright-designed structures, there’s nearly 30,000 square feet of interior space in total at the complex.

Those six Prairie style structures are the George Barton House, the Gardener’s Cottage, the main house, the conservatory, the pergola, and the carriage house (where the museum store is now located). At the west side of the property, the visitor center, named the Eleanor and Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion, is the only building on the property not designed by Wright. Instead, it was designed by Toshiko Mori and opened in 2009.



Source link

Alexandra Williams
Alexandra Williams
Alexandra Williams is a writer and editor. Angeles. She writes about politics, art, and culture for LinkDaddy News.

Recent posts

Related articles

Adam Sandler’s Houses: Here’s Where the Comedy Legend and His Family Have Lived

He’s known for playing goofy characters in movies. Adam Sandler’s houses, however, suggest that the actor and...

25 Best Dallas Interior Designers, Architects, and Landscape Designers on the AD PRO Directory

Melissa Gerstle Design is known for dreaming up stylish outdoor spaces that are an extension of a...

Inside the Colorful Queens Home of the Cold Picnic Founders

The living room offers a sight line through the citron playroom and into the dining room, where...

How the Whitney Museum Brought Alvin Ailey’s Legacy to Life

When curator Adrienne Edwards started conceptualizing an exhibition about the late choreographer Alvin Ailey (which also, surprisingly,...

9 Miami Airbnbs to Book for Your Next Beach Vacation in 2025

There are many reasons to be Googling Miami Airbnbs ahead of your next vacation (spring break, South...

How to Clean a Washing Machine in 30 Minutes or Less

Knowing how to clean a washing machine is one of those cleaning hacks you may not consider...

Inside a Haussmannian Paris Apartment With a Worldly Point of View

When artist Noelia Hobeika and video editor Burke Williams decided to plant roots in Paris ahead of...

How Trillium, an Appalachian Wildflower, Became a Bisexual Icon

Trillium doesn’t have great representation either. You rarely see it used by florists. Amateur gardeners often mistake...