Walter V. Davidson House
Encyclopedia
The Walter V. Davidson House, located at 57 Tillinghast Place in Buffalo, New York
, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
and built in 1908. It is an example of Wright's Prairie School
architectural style. The house is a contributing property
to the Parkside East Historic District
, a neighborhood laid out by renowned American landscape architect
Frederick Law Olmsted
in 1876.
. Wright had arrived in Buffalo in 1903 to build the existing house for Martin
, and Martin was instrumental in selecting Wright as the architect for the Larkin Administration Building
, in downtown Buffalo
, Wright's first major commercial project. Consequently Wright was commissioned to build a house by Davidson, and in turn another Larkin employee William R. Heath
. Davidson left both the house and the Larkin Company in 1913 to establish the Davidson Shoe Company.
on the east wall and -story-high clerestory windows
on the north and south walls. Due to the large area of glass, and the restricted budget, the house is also notable in that the windows do not incorporate the use of art glass, as in many other Wright houses of the period: instead the windows consist of leaded
diamond-shaped panes. These panes are oriented horizontally, rather than vertically, uncommon to the style of the day but in keeping with Wright's emphasis on the horizontal. Each pane is offset a number of degrees, rather than laid flat on an even plane, increasing privacy due to light reflecting off the glass at different angles.
The basic floor plan is cruciform. On the ground floor is the dining room, and at the opposite end a porch, with the "Tall Living Room" and the second story centered in the middle. The floor plan is almost identical to the Isabel Roberts House
, built that same year in River Forest, Illinois
, but mirror-imaged and rotated ninety degrees from the street. This resulted in the living room being oriented to the side of the house rather than the street front, which initially afforded a nice view of the woods in 1908. This view was quickly lost, however, when the house next door was built. Like the William R. Heath House
the Davidson House has a half-level basement containing the utilities, a laundry, pantry, and maid's quarters
. Nearby are the kitchen and side entry on the ground floor. There are three bedrooms and bathroom on the second floor.
The exterior and interior of the house incorporate typical Prairie School elements found in most of Wright's designs of the era: broad over-hanging cantilever
ed eaves, low hip roof
s, bands of casement window
s, roman brick
in the fire place and hearth, vertical wooden slats creating a screen to hide the stairway, built-in exterior planters, and an overall emphasis on horizontal lines throughout.
And;
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
and built in 1908. It is an example of Wright's Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
architectural style. The house is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Parkside East Historic District
Parkside East Historic District
Parkside East Historic District is a national historic district located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. The district is architecturally and historically significant for its association with the 1876 Parks and Parkways Plan for the city of Buffalo developed by Frederick Law Olmsted...
, a neighborhood laid out by renowned American landscape architect
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
in 1876.
The Client
Wright's patron, Walter V. Davidson, had joined the Larkin Soap Company in Buffalo as the advertising manager in 1906. Davidson was introduced to Wright by fellow Larkin executive Darwin D. MartinDarwin D. Martin
Darwin D. Martin was an early 20th Century New York State businessman best known for the house he commissioned from Frank Lloyd Wright.-Early life:...
. Wright had arrived in Buffalo in 1903 to build the existing house for Martin
Darwin D. Martin House
The Darwin D. Martin House Complex, also known as the Darwin Martin House State Historic Site, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built between 1903 and 1905...
, and Martin was instrumental in selecting Wright as the architect for the Larkin Administration Building
Larkin Administration Building
The Larkin Building was designed in 1904 by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1906 for the Larkin Soap Company of Buffalo, New York. The five story dark red brick building used pink tinted mortar and utilized steel frame construction. It was noted for many innovations, including air conditioning,...
, in downtown Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, Wright's first major commercial project. Consequently Wright was commissioned to build a house by Davidson, and in turn another Larkin employee William R. Heath
William R. Heath House
The William R. Heath House, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, built between 1904 & 1905, and is located at 76 Soldiers Place in Buffalo, New York. It is built in the Prairie School architectural style....
. Davidson left both the house and the Larkin Company in 1913 to establish the Davidson Shoe Company.
Design
In a house built on a relatively modest budget, Wright emphasized space and light rather than ornament. This helped make the Davidson House notable in several respects, primarily as a "Tall Living Room" house. The living room is two stories high featuring a 2-story bay windowBay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
on the east wall and -story-high clerestory windows
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
on the north and south walls. Due to the large area of glass, and the restricted budget, the house is also notable in that the windows do not incorporate the use of art glass, as in many other Wright houses of the period: instead the windows consist of leaded
Leadlight
Leadlights or leaded lights are decorative windows made of small sections of glass supported in lead cames. The technique of creating windows using glass and lead came is discussed at lead came and copper foil glasswork...
diamond-shaped panes. These panes are oriented horizontally, rather than vertically, uncommon to the style of the day but in keeping with Wright's emphasis on the horizontal. Each pane is offset a number of degrees, rather than laid flat on an even plane, increasing privacy due to light reflecting off the glass at different angles.
The basic floor plan is cruciform. On the ground floor is the dining room, and at the opposite end a porch, with the "Tall Living Room" and the second story centered in the middle. The floor plan is almost identical to the Isabel Roberts House
Isabel Roberts House
Isabel Roberts House is a classic 1908 Prairie House from the studio of Frank Lloyd Wright located at 603 Edgewood Place in River Forest, Illinois It was built for Isabel Roberts and her widowed mother, Mary Roberts....
, built that same year in River Forest, Illinois
River Forest, Illinois
River Forest is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Two universities make their home in River Forest, Dominican University and Concordia University Chicago. The village is closely tied to the larger neighboring community of Oak Park, Illinois. There are significant...
, but mirror-imaged and rotated ninety degrees from the street. This resulted in the living room being oriented to the side of the house rather than the street front, which initially afforded a nice view of the woods in 1908. This view was quickly lost, however, when the house next door was built. Like the William R. Heath House
William R. Heath House
The William R. Heath House, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, built between 1904 & 1905, and is located at 76 Soldiers Place in Buffalo, New York. It is built in the Prairie School architectural style....
the Davidson House has a half-level basement containing the utilities, a laundry, pantry, and maid's quarters
Servants' quarters
Servants' quarters are those parts of a building, traditionally in a private house, which contain the domestic offices and staff accommodation. From the late 17th century until the early 20th century they were a common feature in all large houses...
. Nearby are the kitchen and side entry on the ground floor. There are three bedrooms and bathroom on the second floor.
The exterior and interior of the house incorporate typical Prairie School elements found in most of Wright's designs of the era: broad over-hanging cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
ed eaves, low hip roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
s, bands of casement window
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...
s, roman brick
Roman brick
Roman brick can refer either to a type of brick originating in Ancient Rome and spread by the Romans to the lands they conquered; or to a modern type of brick, inspired by the ancient prototypes...
in the fire place and hearth, vertical wooden slats creating a screen to hide the stairway, built-in exterior planters, and an overall emphasis on horizontal lines throughout.
Renovation
In the 1930s the residence was remodeled, updating the kitchen and creating a master suite built over the garage. One of the original bedrooms was reduced in size and a closet eliminated to make way for a hallway leading to the new suite, which consisted of a dressing chamber, bathroom, and sleeping chamber. The addition incorporated the same casement windows of diamond-shaped leaded glass prevalent in the rest of the house.See also
Other buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright in the Buffalo area:- Darwin D. Martin House ComplexDarwin D. Martin HouseThe Darwin D. Martin House Complex, also known as the Darwin Martin House State Historic Site, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built between 1903 and 1905...
- George Barton House
- GraycliffGraycliffThe Graycliff estate was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and was built between 1926 and 1931. It is located about 20 minutes south of downtown Buffalo, New York, at 6472 Old Lake Shore Road in Derby, New York...
- William R. Heath HouseWilliam R. Heath HouseThe William R. Heath House, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, built between 1904 & 1905, and is located at 76 Soldiers Place in Buffalo, New York. It is built in the Prairie School architectural style....
- Blue Sky MausoleumBlue Sky MausoleumBlue Sky Mausoleum, in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York, is the recent completion of a 1928 design by Frank Lloyd Wright as a commercial cemetery project...
- Rowing BoathouseRowing BoathouseFrank Lloyd Wright's Rowing Boathouse is located at 1 Rotary Row, Buffalo, New York, along the city's Black Rock Channel.-History:In 1910, at the age of 43, Frank Lloyd Wright traveled to Europe to present what would become his most beloved collection of structure illustrations: the Wasmuth Portfolio...
- Filling Station
And;
- More Photos The Walter V. Davidson House
- Information about Buffalo's architecture: Wright Now in Buffalo
- Podcast of remarks about Buffalo architecture by Dr. Neil Levine, author of The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and Emmet Blakeney Gleason, Professor of History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University