Graycliff

Graycliff was designed as the summer estate for Darwin D. Martin and his family, perched dramatically on the bluffs above Lake Erie in Derby, New York — about 20 miles south of Buffalo. Wright designed the main house, a garage, and a servants' quarters as a unified complex, all in his mature Prairie vocabulary. The site's name comes from the gray clay bluffs on which it sits, and the views of Lake Erie are extraordinary. After decades of neglect following the Martin family's departure, the Graycliff Conservancy undertook a major restoration and the complex is now open for guided tours. It is a National Historic Landmark and one of the most scenically situated Wright buildings in existence.