bjarvis: (Morbo)
[personal profile] bjarvis
Today's excitement was a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright. I wasn't overly keen on the idea but [livejournal.com profile] cuyahogarvr started salivating like a puppy viewing a milkbone the moment he heard they existed so away we went.

We started with Gaycliff, the summer home of Darwin Miller & family, south of Buffalo, NY. It was built in the mid 1920s but extensively modified since the Miller family sold it after the death of Darwin Miller. The conservation society purchased the property in the late 1990s and has been slowly renovating the place since, restoring it to its original form.

The downside is that the place is still under extensive renovation. The exteriors are mostly rebuilt, reinforcing their structure and integrity. The interiors are largely stripped and the landscaping is sorely lacking but in a few years, it will be quite the place.


Graycliff, by Frank Lloyd Wright Graycliff, by Frank Lloyd Wright
Derby, NY 2007-08-19


The Darwin Miller Estate was originally a complex of several buildings and was the primary residence of the Miller family. As before, the death of Mr. Miller (as well as the depression) destroyed the family fortune so Mrs. Miller walked away from the property in the 1930s. The property was abandoned for 20 years until an architect bought out the property; alas, he didn't have enough funds to properly restore the estate and had to sell off half of the property and some of the peripheral buildings.

The conservation society has purchased the plot, destroyed the smaller apartments built on the site in the 1960s and has begin rebuilding the lost structures and restoring those which survived. Again, so much is under construction that it was difficult to see much of the original but it should be quite something to see in a few years.

Darwin Miller Estate, by Frank Lloyd Wright Darwin Miller Estate, by Frank Lloyd Wright
Buffalo, NY 2007-08-19



We returned to the hotel for a nap after a very late lunch. We're now struggling yet again to find something we could possibly do in the evening. Please shoot me.

Date: 2007-08-20 02:37 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] allanh.livejournal.com
You got to see TWO FLW buildings, and you're complaining?

I don't feel the slightest bit sorry for you.

I LOVE architectural tours of FLW buildings. I would think that seeing how they're rebuilding each property would be fascinating.

(Of course, being from Chicago, I'm an architecture enthusiast anyway...)

Look on the bright side ... I'm sure the weather was pleasanter in Buffalow than in Phoenix ... :)

Date: 2007-08-20 04:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bjarvis.livejournal.com
I find them intriguing but I found it difficult to see past the renovations in progress, the scaffolding, the work fences and so on. Let's try again in three years or so when the places are really ready for show.

If you come east, we'll take you to Falling Water.

Date: 2007-08-20 04:51 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] allanh.livejournal.com
Careful ... I'll hold you to that promise. :)

Date: 2007-08-20 02:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bjarvis.livejournal.com
It's only a few hours from DC and would make an excellent part of a day trip. Besides it would shut up [livejournal.com profile] cuyahogarvr satisfy [livejournal.com profile] cuyahogarvr's long expressed desire to see it.

well a man that salivates over FLW is a keeper!

Date: 2007-08-20 05:06 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] redbearmark.livejournal.com
Glad you have such a lovely place to visit (even with renovations). I hope it will be wonderful to see in a few years and be amazed at the wonders he did with homes.

Glad you had some pleasant diversions from the predicament you are in!

Gay or Gray? :)

Date: 2007-08-20 03:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] weekilter.livejournal.com
So, is it Gaycliff when you're there and Graycliff at other times? :)

Reminds me of when the Seattle Men's Chorus rented a double-decker Grayline tour bus and the float committee thought they were oh so cute that they put an opaque covering over the 'R' in GRAYLINE so it was 'GAYLINE' cruises. How unbelievably cute,eh?

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