About our rating systemA destination for Frank Lloyd Wright worshippers and casual critics alike, this 1927 house set on a 70-foot cliff overlooking Lake Erie was built for Isabelle Martin -- wife of Wright's most generous patron, Darwin Martin. The two-story, 6,500-square-foot house on 8 acres served as the Martins' summer home through the mid-1940s, and is a wonderful example of Wright's take on "organic architecture," an attempt to bring the natural world indoors. Ribbons of glass flood the house with light; cantilevered balconies move fresh air throughout the rooms; manmade lines and shapes echo the natural forms outdoors. It's a transitional point from Wright's earlier Prairie style -- found in Buffalo's Martin House -- to his late concrete designs like Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. The basic one-hour tour is fascinating, but you can also sign up for two-hour, or the even more intensive four-hour tours with a master architect. Restoration of the property is ongoing, so Graycliff just keeps getting better.
