DERBY, NY-- After more than 20 years of restoration, Friday marks a big day for a historic summer home in Derby.
The final home built by Frank Lloyd Wright in Western New York, the Graycliff Estate will cap off its massive interior renovation with a celebration, the first renovation the house has seen since the 1930s.
Funded in part by the Buffalo Billions, the summer home has been the focus of the Graycliff Conservancy since 1997, when there were fears the home would be gutted and transformed into condos.
Known as one of Buffalo’s Historic Places, the Wright home was built for Darwin Martin’s family, after his wife Isabelle struggled to enjoy their first home built by Frank Lloyd Wright in Buffalo.
Isabelle’s struggles came from her deteriorating vision, so the request made for Graycliff in the late 1920s was that it feature a heavier dose of sunlight throughout the house.
"What we hear from a lot of folks is they come because its a Frank Lloyd Wright property, but what we hear when they leave is, ‘I didn't realize the setting was so beautiful and so relaxing, this feeling of peace and serenity, I wish I could stay here all day,” said Executive Director Robert Wooler, whose overseen the restoration over the past 2 ½ years. “That’s our secret sauce, I think.”
Friday’s celebration will include a ribbon cutting at 1:00, and tours will remain open throughout the calendar year.
There are still renovations to be made, Wooler said, including the garden next to the home and the stair tower along Lake Erie.
Once renovated, the stair tower will open up beach access to the home once again, Wooler said.