Frank Lloyd Wright Was a Jerk

Strong words, yes, but I stand by that statement.

I recently got to tour the Darwin Martin House in North Buffalo. It’s unreal. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it (although it’s probably a lot better if it’s not pouring when you go).

The detail that Frank Lloyd Wright put into this is unimaginable to me. We’re currently renovating our house and to think of the time he put in – way back when without the technology or big-box stores we have today – makes me want to take a nap.

His work is amazing and we’re lucky to have these treasures in Buffalo.

But the tour guides made one thing clear: Mr. Wright was a perfectionist. Which translated to: A guy I wouldn’t want to work with. Or be married to, for that matter.

We were told that anyone who occupied any of Frank’s creations had to live in it the way Frank intended. That means if you thought your coffee table and sofa looked good against the windows and he didn’t, well, you’d better lock your doors. After these residents were all moved in, he’d visit and rearrange the furniture. He’d even go as far as building furniture into the walls (e.g. a buffet in the dining room), just so no one would be able to move it.

Gives you a pretty strong argument to install a security system, doesn’t it?

If that wasn’t enough, we learned that he estimated the Barton House within the complex at about $4,500. In the end, it was more that $12,000. That’s a huge difference. Especially back then.

Plus, he painted the interior of the house in darker, “garden” shades, making it difficult for Darwin Martin’s nearly blind wife to see.

He sounds like a peach, doesn’t he?

At least he had unbelievable talent. For if he wasn’t as brilliant as he was, he’d probably have died alone.