press releases
Three Major Fall Events Mark New Milestones in Buffalo’s Ongoing Cultural Renewal
National Premiere of PBS Documentary Frank Lloyd Wright’s Buffalo, Completion of the Reconstruction of Wright’s Darwin D. Martin House Complex, and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s Performance of Shining Brow
Signify Next Phase in the City’s Longstanding Commitment to Culture
BUFFALO, NY, August 15, 2006 – The city of Buffalo continues to enhance its cultural landscape with the
national premiere of a PBS documentary detailing the life and architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Buffalo, airing nationwide September 4, 2006, 10:00-11:00 p.m. EST, highlights Wright’s long-term friendship with Darwin D. Martin and how it helped to shape the cultural heritage of a major American city and make a significant impact on the architectural history of the 20th century. Buffalo continues its strong tradition of cultural and civic investment today, as the Martin House Restoration Corporation celebrates the completion of the reconstruction of the buildings of the Martin House’s original complex (built 1903-1905) on October 4, 2006. The city’s architecture meets the stage on November 4, 2006 when the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra commemorates Wright’s architectural achievements in Buffalo with a special performance of Shining Brow, a concert version of the opera that follows Wright’s life through the tumultuous years between 1903 and 1914.
Exploring the extraordinary friendship between Wright and Martin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Buffalo documents
the importance of Buffalo during Wright’s early career, the architectural significance of the Martin estate, and
the development of Wright’s first large-scale commercial commission, the Larkin Company Administration
Building. Produced at WNED by John Grant, David Rotterman, and Paul Lamont, the program features
spectacular cinematography of Wright’s work and dramatic footage of significant architecture in Buffalo.
The documentary includes interviews with noted scholars such as Neil Levine, Professor of Architecture at Harvard
University; Paul Goldberger, Architecture Critic for The New Yorker; and descendants of both Wright and
Martin, including Wright’s grandson, Eric Lloyd Wright.This October marks the much-anticipated completion
of the reconstruction of the buildings of the original Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, among the most famous of Wright’s “Prairie Style” homes. This will be the first time in over 70 years that the entire historic grounds of the Martin property – consisting of the Martin House, pergola, conservatory and carriage house, the Barton House, the Gardener’s Cottage, and the greenhouse – will be seen together. Additionally, architect Toshiko Mori has designed a visitor’s center to gracefully complement the revival of the landmark Wright house. The restoration of the Martin complex, the building Wright referred to as his opus, marks the first Frank Lloyd Wright buildings ever to be rebuilt in America.
Buffalo’s continued investment in its exceptional architectural and cultural heritage appears on stage when the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra presents Shining Brow, an opera based on the life of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus will come together to
tell the dramatic story of Wright’s turbulent personal and professional life, with poignant scenes of triumph, death and disaster. Composed by Daron Hagen, this concert version of the opera will debut Saturday, November 4,
8 p.m. and Sunday, November 5, 2:30 p.m. at Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo. (In a separate initiative, the BPO
recently released a CD entitled “Prairie Music,” inspired by composer Aaron Copeland and Frank Lloyd Wright. The recording is a tribute to Buffalo and the two American masters who played a crucial role in the city’s rich cultural heritage.)
The city’s architecture meets the stage when the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra presents Shining Brow, a concert opera that follows the life of Frank Lloyd Wright, during the tumultuous years between 1903 and 1914. The production portrays Wright’s relationship to Louis Sullivan, Mamah Cheney, and his wife Catherine with scenes shifting from the Cliff Dweller’s Club in Chicago, to Oak Park, Berlin, and Taliesin. Sixty members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus will be included in the production, which will be performed in November 2006, at Buffalo’s famed Kleinhans Music Hall, designed by father-and-son team Eero and Eliel Saarinen. In a different but similar initiative, the BPO recently released a CD entitled “Prairie Music,” inspired by composer Aaron Copeland and Frank Lloyd Wright. The recording is a tribute to Buffalo and the two American masters who played a crucial role in the city’s rich cultural heritage.
The city of Buffalo boasts one of the strongest architectural histories in the United States with landmarks designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen (Kleinhans Music Hall), Louis Sullivan (Guaranty Building), Stanford White (Williams-Pratt Mansion), and Frederick Law Olmsted (Buffalo Parks and Parkways), along with Wright and Richardson. Looking to the future, new architectural projects in Buffalo include acclaimed international architect Toshiko Mori’s winning competition entry for a visitors’ center at Wright’s Darwin D. Martin House. This diversity of architects mirrors Buffalo’s unique role in American history as a city of culture and innovation.
As yet another part of the city’s renewal, the Erie Canal Harbor Project is also in the process of redeveloping the original 1825 Erie Canal Terminus and Waterway. The project includes the reconstruction and restoration of historic and cultural features of the terminus, a transit plaza, a waterfront esplanade, maritime facilities, access infrastructure and a new Naval and Serviceman’s Park. Final completion is set for fall 2007.
Together with its rich architectural history, Buffalo benefits from a vibrant cultural community, centered on the Albright-Knox Art Gallery’s role as an outstanding center for modern and contemporary art. Housed in its original building by Green and Wicks (1900-1905) and an inspired modernist addition by Gordon Bunshaft (1962), the Albright-Knox is also part of Buffalo’s architectural tradition. The Gallery showcases a variety of artists from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in its exceptional permanent collection, including Auguste Rodin, Piet Mondrian, Jackson Pollock, Spencer Tunic, Louise Bourgeois, and Catherine Opie.
The community has also invested in the ongoing preservation and restoration of the historic Roycroft campus in nearby East Aurora. Founded in 1895 by Elbert Hubbard, the Roycrofters were a community of skilled craftsmen – printers, book designers, furniture-makers – whose work is now highly sought after by Arts and Crafts collectors across the country. Most recently, the Buffalo community helped to renovate the Roycroft Inn that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005.
Buffalo is a city with a longstanding history of innovation, discovery, creativity, production and support for
architecture, the arts and culture. From the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, through the invention of the grain elevator, to the harnessing of hydroelectric power at nearby Niagara Falls and the subsequent development of aviation, automobile and steel plants, Buffalo has played a distinguished role in the shaping of the
American experience – a history that continues to be made today.
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