A Closer Look: Graycliff
From the Photo series: A Closer Look: Explore Western New York’s architectural treasures series
Take a visual tour of Graycliff, the lakefront estate designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright for industrialist Darwin Martin and his wife, Isabelle. Built between 1926 and 1931, it was home to the Martin family until the Martins died in 1951. Now it's owned by the Graycliff Conservancy, which is in the process of restoring the property.
The Graycliff Estate, designed for Darwin and Isabelle Martin by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright, sits on the rocky cliff overlooking Lake Erie in Derby.
A tour group enjoys the view from the decks at the adjoining "Foster House" at the Graycliff Estate.
The grand hallway on the second floor.
The guest bedroom at the estate.
The newly restored sun porch.
Detail of a vase on a table in the window of the kitchen.
Detail of the statue "Pippa Passes" by Louise Allen that was recently acquired by the Graycliff Estate.
The view northward along the rocky shores of Lake Erie give a hint to the origins of the name of the Graycliff Estate.
Detail of the dining room table at Graycliff.
Tour groups explore Graycliff Estate.
The walls in the "Foster House" are down to the studs as restoration awaits them.
Another exterior view of Graycliff Estate.
Graycliff Estate.
Detail of the statue "Pippa Passes" by Louise Allen, which that was recently acquired by the Graycliff Estate.
A photograph of Darwin and Isabelle Martin with their grandchildren on display at Graycliff Estate.
Grand windows in the living room of Graycliff Estate.
Graycliff Estate.
View out of the stairwell window.
Darwin Martin's sleeping porch at Graycliff Estate.
The grand hallway on the second floor of Graycliff Estate.
Detail of furniture in the guest room.
Detail of the window cut through the massive chimney.
A tour group walks in front of Graycliff.
Graycliff, designed for Darwin and Isabelle Martin by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The stair tower down to the Lake Erie beach no longer connects to the top of the cliff, which has eroded since the time Graycliff was used by the Martin family.
Stairs lead up to the massive living room picture windows at Graycliff Estate.
A tour group gets to walk on the upper porch at Graycliff.
Stones on the massive chimney still bear traces of numbers drawn in chalk by the careful masons who took it apart stone-by-stone and rebuilt it during a restoration.
Legend has it that a mason doing restoration work here fell in love with the property and left this heart-shaped stone to express his feelings.
The grand hallway on the second floor of Graycliff.
This series has taken Buffalo News photographers inside, outside, above and, on occasion, underneath local landmarks and to places most people…
