Wednesday, October 30, 2013

FLW American Systems Home

The link below is to a tour of one of Wright's homes for the middle class.  Note the fireplace that is only a room divider similar to the Martin House.  Also notice the corner windows and the comments the narrator makes about them, common to many Wright homes as well as Graycliff.  When Dale Gyure toured Graycliff last month he noted how Wright designed to bring people into a room via a corner entrance as in our living room, View Room and Sun Room to make better use of the room space. That is also evident in this house.  A nice tour, livable house; don't you wish you owned it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l_c7gjIcyc&feature=player_embedded

George

Restoration Update October 30, 2013


Latest restoration news:

Work completed:



  • The sub-floor has been installed in the living room.  
  • Forced hot air heat has been returned to the second floor, the basement, the kitchen and the pantry.  (There's no heat in the living room, so it's a bit chilly!) 
  • Channels have been opened in the walls of the living room in anticipation of installation of the fire suppression system
  •  John Larkin's desk has been moved to the Foster House, so that restoration of the foyer floor can be started.  (Of course, this is not original to Graycliff....)


Work currently in progress includes:


  •  Removal of mastic remaining from the linoleum that had been installed over the original wood floors by the Piarist Fathers, in the dining room and the entry foyer
  • In the basement, an electricition is working on wiring and routing for the fire suppression system
Will post some photos tomorrow!




Monday, October 28, 2013

Graycliff Volunteer Breakfast!


EACH AUTUMN,  WE GATHER TO CELEBRATE GRAYCLIFF VOLUNTEERS







This year, due to construction, Graycliff's Annual Volunteer Dinner will be a volunteer breakfast, instead...and will be held at the Wanakah Country Club, at 5161 Lake Shore Road, Hamburg  just down the road from Graycliff on Saturday, November 9th from 8:30 am to 10:30 pm.

Isabelle and Darwin Martin were members of the historic Wanakah Country Club, making this not only a lovely location, but an appropriate one as well.


Join us for good food, conviviality, awards, both well deserved and funny, and more!


We hope you will attend.


Because of catering requirements, all reservations must be received no later than 5:00 pm on  Tuesday, November 5th...please Email Graycliff or call 947-9217,,,we hope to see you then.

Following the breakfast, volunteers will receive a 20% discount in the Graycliff gift shop for just that day.

Special thanks to Graycliff Board members Kevin Christner and Kevin Hoffman for making the Volunteer Breakfast possible...and to every volunteer for their hard work and dedication throughout the year.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Frank Said




A guest on one of my tours this weekend repeated an FLW quote which I had previously come across and thought it was good enough to share.  Supposedly while testifying in some type of court case FLW was asked  what he did for his profession.  He replied, " I am America's greatest architect."  The attorney responded asking how he could respond that way in court.  Frank replied, "I have to; I'm under oath."  True or not, it is a story worth repeating.

David & Gladys Wright House

Thanks to the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust for posting this:

The David and Gladys Wright House in Phoenix, AZ may soon reach historic landmark status and open to public tours if the city approves an amendment to its zoning ordinance. Watch a brief interior tour and read the full article here: http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/20130926phoenix-wright-house-tours.html

Happy Birthday, Darwin D. Martin!



This Friday, October 25th, is  Darwin D. Martin's  birthday --  let's celebrate his many accomplishments.

Born in Bouckville, NY on 10/25/1865, Darwin Martin was deeply affected by his mother's death when he was just 6 years old.  His family split up shortly thereafter, and for the rest of his life, having a home and family was extremely important to Martin.

At the age of 12, Darwin Martin joined his brother Frank in the New Jersey-to-Boston area as a member of a door-to-door sales team (soap slings) for the Larkin Soap Company.

A year later (1879) he came to Buffalo and John Larkin gave him a job in the Larkin Company's office. Martin displayed a talent for mathematics, and a prodigious memory for details. He learned bookkeeping, and in 1886 Martin invented the card ledger system for keeping accounts,  thus eliminating large, unwieldy ledgers.

In 1893 he became secretary (the chief financial officer) of the Larkin Company,  when Elbert Hubbard retired at a young age,. Hubbard was a good friend and advisor to Martin.

Darwin Martin appears to have been a workaholic. In 1897 he had a nervous collapse from over-work, but by 1907 he had become a millionaire through wise investments. Martin's own diary in 1926 (the year Graycliff was commissioned for his wife, Isabelle from Frank Lloyd Wright) estimated his net worth at 2.5M  dollars.
Darwin D. Martin with grandchildren Margaret Foster and Darwin M. Foster at Graycliff, circa 1933.

Martin's association with Frank Lloyd Wright had begun in 1902, when he visited his brother William in Oak Park, IL  and was introduced to the architect   In 1903 Martin commissioned Wright to design a house for his sister Delta Barton and her family on a large lot in the Parkside area of Buffalo, and the following year Martin again commissioned Wright, this time to design  his own home on the same lot, at the corner of Summit Ave and Jewett Pkwy in Buffalo.

Twenty three years later, Wright designed the Martin's summer home, Graycliff, in Derby, NY

Wright and Martin maintained their friendship for 33 years, and Martin aided Mr. Wright innumerable times throughout their friendship.  Martin helped to fund the Wasmuth portfolio , made many personal loans, solicited work for Wright and was instrumental in creating WRIGHT Inc.  Martin gave Wright much advice, ranging from finances to publishing  Their friendship also included a lively exchange of ideas. 

Although Martin had very little formal education, he was was an avid learner throughout his life,  and acquired a sizable personal library of approximately 2,000 volumes.  His interest in  education lead to support for a number of educational institutions, especially the Pine Mountain Settlement in Kentucky, as well as a large number of scholarships.

Darwin Martin was very active in civic affairs, especially after his retirement.  He served on Boards of the Buffalo Historical Society, the NYS Historical Association, the Society of Natural Science (Buffalo Museum of Science), the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society (now the Buffalo Philharmonic), the Chamber of Commerce, Buffalo City Planning, and the Association for the Blind.


He died of a cerebral hemorrhage on December 17th, 1935.


Happy 148th Birthday, Darwin D. Martin!  






Monday, October 21, 2013

Article on Piarist Fathers in WNY Heritage Magazine








New in the Pavilion Shop---the latest issue of WNY Heritage Magazine, which includes an article by Graycliffian Eugene Hegedus called the The Long Road to Freedom.  The article covers the history of the Piarists; the school they founded in Buffalo, Calasanctius; and the Father's time at Graycliff.  Fascinating reading!


Monday, October 14, 2013

Shout Out to Graycliff Housekeepers.....

A big thank you to all Graycliff Housekeepers, especially Team Leader Linda Weyand,  for their efforts this weekend and again today.

Boy, was it DUSTY!  Due to the construction, dust was everywhere...and the Housekeeping Team has done a terrific job of keeping things looking great.

This coming year will be especially challenging for the team, as the dust continues to settle....so when you see the, please thank them very much for a job well done!

Graycliff Living Room Floor Restoration Update October 14, 2013


The living room floor restoration is moving forward rapidly.  Joists and sub-floor have been completed; which means that tours may now go through the living room.  Work in the basement will continue this week, on duct work, etc.  BRD Construction hopes to have heat restored later this week to the second floor, as well as parts of the first floor.  Thus, it may be a little noisy, but tours will not be impeded.

Restoration of the entry way, dining room and final work on the living room floors will get underway in November.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Save the Date: Graycliff Volunteer BREAKFAST!

Breaking tradition due to restoration in progress, the 2013 Volunteer Dinner has been changed to a Volunteer Breakfast.

But not just any breakfast...it will be held at the Wanakah Country Club.
Isabelle and Darwin Martin were members, and visited frequently.

Please save the date: Saturday, November 9th, from 8:30 to 10:30 am.



Awards, conviviality, and a celebration of all that Graycliffians have accomplished this year!


Wanakah Country Club is located at . 5161 Lake Shore Road, Hamburg, NY 14075.


Following the breakfast, we will continue the traditional 20% discount 

in Graycliff's gift shop just for volunteers that day.



Please RSVP to Graycliff at 947-9217 if you are able to attend.


Graycliff Lecture THIS Wednesday....


Opening the Envelope: Porches, Porticos and Terraces



The third and final lecture in the 2013 Graycliff series will conclude with a presentation by Keiran Murphy, Historic Preservation Specialist at Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's home in Spring Green, WI.

Murphy's illustrated talk should be quite fascinating, 
because she is a practitioner rather than an academic architectural historian.  Her role at Taliesin is to research and the provide guidance to the work crews who are actually performing restoration at the historic home.  


Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Burchfield-Penney Art Center
1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY
7:00 pm
$10; $5 for Graycliff members/volunteers, and BPAC members



Presented thanks to the support of the New York State Council on the Arts, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and the New York State Legislature.  Special thanks to the Burchfield-Penney Art Center.



Graycliff Restoration Update Oct 7 through 11, 2013

The living room floor project is moving right along.  BRD Construction expects to have a temporary floor in the living room by the end of the day this Wednesday, October 9th.  This will mean that the living room will once again be available for all tours, although during the coming weeks, we may hear sounds from the basement, where work will continue.


The work in the photo above will only be visible for two more days.....

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Graycliff Restoration Update for October 1-7, 2013

Restoration on the Living Room Floor project is moving swiftly now. 

LAST WEEK

All  HVAC duct work was  removed  from the basement, including all forced air floor registers.  The furnaces have been turned off along with the boiler.  Valves for the new boiler floor heating units have been installed.

The electric lines existing on the ceiling of the basement (or underside of the floor that is going to be removed) was loosened so the spancreet (concrete panels) can be removed.

Our contractor, BRD, completed its investigation for the safest, most effective way to actually remove the floor. The basement under the removal area was cleaned out and shoring  installed.

THIS WEEK

This week, the floor topping is being removed; and there will be deliveries of laminated veneer lumber, 
pressure treated lumber, and  brackets, which will be used to provide the support for the new floor.

Plastic sheeting will prevent circulation of dust, and there will be barriers installed to prevent anyone from falling into the basement.  Docents, please be creative in giving tours around this construction.


NEXT WEEK


BRD  will continue with floor removal and installation.  They expect this phase of the work to be completed by week end, so if you want to see into the basement from the living room, these are likely the only times you will be able to do so.

Each section of floor that is removed will be replaced with laminated veneer lumber floor joists. Blocking will then be installed to keep the joists from moving or twisting.

 A temporary plywood floor  will be installed until a large enough area is ready for the tongue and grove under lay flooring to be installed on a diagonal.


As soon as the floor is completed to that point, the HVAC subcontractor will return to install some of the duct work  and restore some forced air  heat.