Larkin Building

Larkin 'A' Building
Demolished

Larkin Building

Site overview

Established in 1875, the Larkin Company was a national mail-order business that sold soap products to middle class consumers. Its managers, including John D. Larkin, Elbert Hubbard, Darwin Martin, and William Heath ascribed to the belief that hard work was a moral imperative, and attempted to foster a familial office culture. The construction of a new headquarters was intended to ensure the highest levels of efficiency, productivity, and cooperation among its employees. The mottoes adorning the structure’s balconies and exterior plaques, written primarily by Heath, reinforced these ideals. The structure’s plan, interior and exterior design, and furnishings responded to the daily operations of the company and provided for the welfare of its employees—an early form of air conditioning cooled the space while a communal dining facility, classrooms, and lounge area with a fireplace promoted a congenial office culture. Martin, the company’s secretary, pushed Larkin to hire Frank Lloyd Wright for the design of their new headquarters. Wright called on his experience working with Adler and Sullivan to convince Martin of his capabilities in the execution of his first independent, large-scale commercial project. In contrast with Wright’s residential projects of the period, in which the primary spaces radiate out from the core of the building, a steel frame sheathed in masonry encloses a large, open, five-story well illuminated by skylights at the heart of the building. Executive staff occupied desks in this space, and a grid of thick balconies extended up and around it. The building’s exterior was volumetric and grandiose, and a geometric program of ornament complemented assertively rectangular buttresses surmounted by globes and figural sculptures by Wright’s frequent collaborator, Richard Bock. (from the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust)

Larkin Building

Site overview

Established in 1875, the Larkin Company was a national mail-order business that sold soap products to middle class consumers. Its managers, including John D. Larkin, Elbert Hubbard, Darwin Martin, and William Heath ascribed to the belief that hard work was a moral imperative, and attempted to foster a familial office culture. The construction of a new headquarters was intended to ensure the highest levels of efficiency, productivity, and cooperation among its employees. The mottoes adorning the structure’s balconies and exterior plaques, written primarily by Heath, reinforced these ideals. The structure’s plan, interior and exterior design, and furnishings responded to the daily operations of the company and provided for the welfare of its employees—an early form of air conditioning cooled the space while a communal dining facility, classrooms, and lounge area with a fireplace promoted a congenial office culture. Martin, the company’s secretary, pushed Larkin to hire Frank Lloyd Wright for the design of their new headquarters. Wright called on his experience working with Adler and Sullivan to convince Martin of his capabilities in the execution of his first independent, large-scale commercial project. In contrast with Wright’s residential projects of the period, in which the primary spaces radiate out from the core of the building, a steel frame sheathed in masonry encloses a large, open, five-story well illuminated by skylights at the heart of the building. Executive staff occupied desks in this space, and a grid of thick balconies extended up and around it. The building’s exterior was volumetric and grandiose, and a geometric program of ornament complemented assertively rectangular buttresses surmounted by globes and figural sculptures by Wright’s frequent collaborator, Richard Bock. (from the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust)
Commission

1903

Completion

1906

Commission / Completion details

1903/1906

Significant Alteration(s) with Date(s)

Sept. 11, 1902:Darwin D. Martin, an influential Larkin executive, visits his brother in Chicago and sees Frank Lloyd Wright's work in suburban Oak Park. He soon writes that Wright “makes $8,000 look like $15,000 in a house.” Nov. 18. 1902:FLW arrives in Buffalo from Chicago for a first meeting with Martin.Jan 15, 1903:Preliminary sketches are created for the Larkin company.Apr 4, 1904:Construction drawings are produced and dated.August 1906:BLDG is ready for occupancy1909:A Kroeschell refrigeration unit is added to Wright’s original air treatment system, which cleans the surrounding polluted air with a limited control of humidity.1932:Windows have been cut into the walls of the fifth floor. The annex chimney has been extended above the roof line.Oct. 4, 1939:The Larkin Company announces in a press release that the Larkin Retail Store will be relocated across the street in the building, which has 25% more floor space than its existing location. The building is renovated:Interior court is cleared of the Wright-designed metal desks. The floors are carpeted, an organ console and grand piano are introduced into the space. Glareless floodlights are placed on the fifth floor. Interior windows are contained by the main floor—drapes and curtains are displayed against a pastel background that was backlit to simulate sunlight. Full-length mirrors are installed and walls are repainted. The area surrounding the central court is partitioned to make three model rooms for display. The second floor is also partitioned to make three model display rooms. The second and third floors are used to hold merchandize. Fourth and fifth floors are retained as office space for the mail-order branch. Ten of the double-paned windows that face the parking lot were transformed into display windows.Nov. 20, 1939:Renovated building is reopened as the Larkin Retail Store.1941:Original decorative globes designed by Richard W. Brock have been removed from central exterior piers, possibly due to structural problems caused by their weight.May 24, 1943:It is announced that building was sold to L.B. Smith, a Harrisburg, PA contractor. Nine months remain on Larkin Company (now the Larkin Store Corporation) lease. No further action is taken upon expiration of lease, and building is left unoccupied.Jun. 15, 1945:Building is taken over by the City of Buffalo in a tax foreclosure of $104,616.Oct. 15, 1947:Building has fallen into disrepair. Every double-paned window has been broken, the iron gate has fallen off its rusted hinges, the iron fence has been sacrificed for a wartime scrap collection.Oct. 9, 1949:The Buffalo Courier Express writes that “everything removable has been stripped by vandals. Lighting fixtures, door knobs, plumbing, and even part of the copper roof have been torn away systematically by thieves.”Nov. 15, 1949:Building is sold to The Western Trading Corporation of Buffalo for $5000.Feb. 1950:Demolition of building begins.July 1950:Demolition is completed. The floors, supported by 24 inch steel beams, are used to shore up coal mines in West Virginia. The bricks and stone are used to fill the Ohio Basin.Nov. 27, 1951:Common Council approves petition to use site as parking lot, which is built.To present:The north pier of the fence that bordered the west property line is still standing.

Current Use

Building demolished in 1950. A parking lot is on the site.

Current Condition

Demolished

Original Physical Context

The Larkin Building was built among several company owned buildings, including factories, in a polluted industrial area of Buffalo. Because of this, Wright designed the building to be airtight and included an air conditioning system that also cleaned the air inside.

Social

The building was designed with an ethos of providing a healthy working environment for the employees that worked there.