First Phase of Martin House Restoration Out For Bid; Work Expected to Begin July 1

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The State University Construction Fund has announced that it is requesting construction bids for the first phase of the restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Darwin D. Martin House Complex. Bidding opened March 29 and will close April 26.

The first phase consists of the exterior restoration of the roof and roof structure and exterior weatherproofing of the main residence at 125 Jewett Pkwy.

Mark R. Hursty, executive director of the Martin House Restoration Corporation (MHRC), said construction work is expected to begin by July 1.

Theodore Lownie, principal in the Buffalo architectural firm of Hamilton, Houston, Lownie and architect of record for the Martin House Complex restoration project, said the work will involve repair of the roof structure and complete replacement of the existing asphalt roof surface with clay tiles designed and manufactured to Wright's original specifications.

The project also calls for the repair of a skylight that was originally built into the floor of a second-story balcony and designed to shed light into the first-floor living room. Long after the residence was built, various renovation projects covered the balcony floor and the living-room ceiling, hiding the skylight, which nevertheless continued to leak water into the living room, damaging walls and ceramic floor tiles.

Hursty said the estimated cost of the first phase of the restoration will be funded by grants and contributions already received from federal and state sources, and from several corporations and private foundations, including M&T Bank, the Domino's Pizza Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation. The federal funding was arranged through Sen. Daniel P. Moynihan, D-N.Y.

In a later phase of the project, a $91,000 conservation grant from the Getty Grant Program of the J. Paul Getty Trust will be used solely to conserve and protect existing structural elements, specifically elements of the veranda and undamaged floor tiles in the living room.

The Martin House Complex is being restored as a house museum by a consortium of the University at Buffalo, the MHRC and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The complete restoration of the multi-building complex is a long-term project expected to take between four and six years.

The MHRC has primary responsibility for raising between $10 and $11 million to pay for the conservation and restoration of the Martin House Complex. In addition to the Martin House, the restored complex will include the smaller, Wright-designed Barton House on Summit Avenue; a covered walkway connecting the Martin House with a conservatory, both of which were demolished in the 1950s and will be rebuilt, and a garage, which also was demolished in the '50s and will be rebuilt.

Fundraising will be carried out on local, national and international levels. When the project is completed, the house will be operated by the MHRC as part of the New York State historic-sites system.