You’ve never experienced Buffalo architecture like this before!
THIS TRIP IS NOW SOLD OUT!
If you would like to be added to our trip waitlist, please email Melinda Rudniski at mrudniski@martinhouse.org.
Join the Martin House for a unique, curated weekend of architectural splendor in Buffalo, NY.
Filled with exclusive access to the many architectural masterpieces, private homes, and beautiful spaces of Buffalo, this special trip is the perfect way to experience Western New York for first-time visitors and locals alike.
Now’s your time to enjoy a beautiful autumn weekend in “the best-planned city in the world,” capped off with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dine inside the Martin House. Reserve your spot today!
Itinerary
Friday, October 5
Our first day will celebrate the Masters of Architecture. The day begins in the afternoon for a special hard hat tour of the Richardson Olmsted Campus, the former Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Guests will have the opportunity to see spaces not available to the public while also getting a closer look one of the largest adaptive reuse projects in the nation.
Following the tour, enjoy a special trip through downtown Buffalo led by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Executive Director, Jessie Fisher, who will offer her unique insight on the incredible architecture and historic preservation in the Queen City.
Our next step is Louis Sullivan’s Guaranty Building, one of the first skyscrapers in the country. Public tours are seldom offered in this exceptional building.
Our day will end at the Hotel Lafayette, designed by early female architect Louise Blanchard Bethune design. Following a unique tour of the hotel, we will enjoy a carefully curated Buffalo-themed dinner in the hotel itself.
Saturday, October 6
Continuing our visits to the architectural masterpieces of Buffalo, our Saturday begins at Kleinhans Music Hall, home to the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and designed by the famous Finnish father-and-son team of Eliel and Eero Saarinen.
After this peek behind the curtain at Kleinhans, we will visit the administrative home to the BPO in the Clement Mansion on Millionaire’s Row, designed by E.B. Green of Green & Wicks. This opulent mansion is ordinarily inaccessible to the public, but our group will enjoy a special walkthrough of the beautiful home. Then, we will head to the Georgia Forman House, a privately-owned Tudor mansion formerly home to Buffalo’s Catholic Bishop. Now privately owned, our group will take an exclusive tour of this rarely seen space.
Our adventures continue at the Buffalo History Museum, where the group will enjoy a boxed lunch and have time to explore Buffalo’s rich history at their own pace.
Following the museum, we will tour the Robert T. Coles House and Studio. Coles was the first African American Chancellor of the American Institute for Architects (AIA) and his Buffalo-based firm was the first African American-owned firm in New York State. The Coles House Foundation plans to open this privately owned home to the public soon. Get an exclusive tour before anyone else!
The group will then head to the Parkside neighborhood to explore the privately owned Wicks House, a gorgeous half-timber mansion designed and occupied by William Sydney Wicks of Green & Wicks located directly across from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House. With doors opened, it’s said you can seen the Nike of Samothrace across the street. We will find out!
Our jam-packed day ends with an intimate dinner reception in the ballroom at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House. It’s your chance to experience a once-in-a-lifetime meal at the Martin House and enjoy all the sights and sounds of the house at dusk.
Sunday, October 6
On our final day, we will head south to experience architectural wonders outside the city of Buffalo. First, the group will take a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff, the summer home of the Martin Family on Lake Erie.
This will be followed by a delicious brunch at the historic Roycroft Inn! Brunch will feature a selection of breakfast cocktails including Blood Marys, Mimosas, and Poinsettias.
After brunch, we’ll experience the Roycroft Campus during their Annual Fall Festival! We’ll start with a special tour of the Roycroft Campus, the birthplace of the Arts & Crafts Movement in America, followed by dedicated time to explore the Festival on your own. The Roycroft Fall Festival features artwork from a variety of fine arts and craft vendors, antique dealers, and community groups, plus live entertainment.
Our accommodations throughout the trip will be the stunning Richardson Hotel at the Richardson Olmsted Campus.
Cost includes hotel, motor coach travel for the duration of the trip, all tours and private home access, dinner on Friday, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and brunch on Sunday.
Double occupancy, per person: $1,250 / $1,200 member rate
Single occupancy, per person: $1,500 / $1,400 member rate
Local occupancy (no hotel accommodations), per person: $1,000
Interested in becoming a Martin House member? Enjoy the member rate on the travel trip and much more >
Please Review the Terms and Conditions
Payment:
Payments are due in full at the time of reservation.
Cancellations and Refunds:
Cancellations must be made directly to Melinda Rudinski at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House by emailing mrudniski@martinhouse.org or calling 716.856.3858 ext. 212. All cancellations are subject to a minimum fee of $50.
- Refund Policy
- Prior to September 16: full refund minus $50 administrative fee
- After September 17: 100% non-refundable
Medical Considerations:
This tour involves significant walking and requires participants to be in good physical condition. You must be able to walk, without assistance, a minimum of one mile over uneven terrain and climb stairs that may not have handrails.
Limits on Responsibilities:
All services and arrangements for transportation, accommodations, and other services related to the tour have been made by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House (MH) only as a representative of the participant. Therefore, the MH should not be held liable for any damages, expenses, or other financial losses to a person or property arising out of injury, cancellation, delay, or alteration from any act of negligence by the hotel, bus, restaurant, or company rendering services during the tour. The MH reserves the right to pass on to any participants expenditures, additional expenses, or losses caused by delays or events beyond its control. All participants will be asked to sign a waiver that will agree to waive, release, and hold harmless the MH, the owners, operators, members, officers, directors, trustees, agents, successors and assigns, from any and all claims, injuries, causes of action, demands, costs, liability, and/or harm of any kind acquired against each of them as a result of your participation in this event. This release shall not be effective if the claim or injury is the result of the sole negligence of the named entity. Should actual enrollments significantly fall below the minimum numbers, a surcharge may be added.
