The 2020 Giving Guide is a unique blend of independently owned and operated businesses in a variety of industries, such as retail, food, dining, arts, non-profit, and more, all designed to encourage WNY residents to #shoplocal. Sponsored by Visit Buffalo Niagara and Erie County, the 2020 guide includes 25 locally-owned and operated businesses throughout the region. Click here to view the 2020 Giving Guide.
The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
In the Buffalo area, we are extremely lucky because we have a storied history and some amazing architecture. Just a drive around the city and you see some amazing examples like H.H. Richardson’s Richardson Complex, Louis Sullivans’s Guaranty Building, and Eliel and Eero Saarinen’s Kleinhans Building. Where we hit the jackpot is with the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. In a lot of cases, other cities have lost some of the masterworks of the great architects of the early 20th century. Here in Buffalo all seven of Frank Lloyd Wright’s landmarks have been lovingly maintained or restored so that future generations can continue to enjoy them. Graycliff is one such property.
Located in Derby and set high on a cliff with sweeping views over Lake Erie, Graycliff stands as an architectural jewel awaiting your discovery. Built between 1926 and 1931, Graycliff was designed by the renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright for Isabelle R. Martin and her husband, Larkin Company executive Darwin D. Martin. Graycliff served as the Martin summer home from 1927 to the mid-1940s. It is a complex of three buildings that includes the small Heat Hut, the 3,100 square-foot Foster House and the 5,800 square-foot Isabelle R. Martin House, all set amidst eight and a half acres of rolling lawns and gardens also designed by Wright. Broadly cantilevered balconies open the buildings to the soft lake air. On the Isabelle R. Martin House, the second floor floats over a terrace and garden below. Another balcony soars, suspended above a sunken garden. Yet a third balcony overlooks the lake itself, and the spray of Niagara Falls in the far distance. Ribbons of glass windows and doors admit the lake breezes. They also frame views of the lake seen – ingeniously – directly through the house itself.
If you need a break from all the holiday rigmarole and you’re looking for a small weekend escape, a visit to Graycliff is perfect. They offer three different tour options. If you’re looking for gift ideas, Graycliff can help with that too. They offer memberships, which at the $100 level, allow members to visit all 30+ Frank Lloyd Wright properties across the country. Their gift shop has a treasure trove of items that will appeal to both architecture and history buffs alike. They also are offering a wreath kit that you can pick up and then make at home with your family. Graycliff is worth checking out, you won’t regret it!
Graycliff
6472 Old Lake Shore Rd, Derby, NY 14047
716-947-9217
Hours: Mon-Tues: 10am-4pm, Wed: Closed, Thurs-Sun: 10am-4pm
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This season we challenge WNY to shop and dine local, and help preserve all the businesses that make Erie County and WNY a unique and diverse place to live. While shopping, feel free to snap a photo of the shop, location, products, or yourself and use the tags, #shop716challenge | #dine716challenge
The Erie County Business Task Force recently launched the Shop716 card, an electronic gift card which can be used at any participating store or restaurant. To purchase an egift card and to check out participating locations, visit their website.