Isabelle Martin's 1927 summer home in Derby, NY celebrates the season of summer by its unique relationship with the sun.

GRAYCLIFF CONSERVANCY DARWIN D. MARTIN HOUSE TODAYS NEWS TODAYS WEATHER

	A firey orange summer sun sets slowly over Lake Erie's horizon. It's the first day of summer as the shadows lengthen and the sun casts a warm light upon Graycliff, the summer residence of Isabelle and Darwin D. Martin. Evening approaches and we realize that the house from which we are viewing the sunset is just beginning to show its colors. Before the Graycliff Conservancy bought Graycliff in 1999, very little was known about this unique summer cottage. The house was labeled "awkward" and "barn-like" by some architectural critics. Alterations and additions to the structure over the years hid much of the design. The house was used as a home for the Piarst Fathers for over 40 years. Maintaining the house proved to be too much work and expense for the Fathers. Over time, the house fell into disrepair. Since the Graycliff Conservancy took ownership, renovations and restoration have once again brought Wright's design back into full view. The conservancy is currently undergoing an extensive restoration campaign. Proceeds from tours and donations are helping to offset the costs of restoration and maintenance.
	Frank Lloyd Wright designed Graycliff in 1926 to be a summer home in a country setting. Graycliff was built using indigenous stone and stucco with the natural color of lake sand. By manipulating these materials, Wright was able to integrate Graycliff into the surrounding landscape. The cantilevered terraces of the upper storey echo the rock formations of the cliff's face. Sunken gardens enclosed by stone walls reach out into the landscape, connecting the house to the earth (see "Graycliff on Earth" page). It has always been understood that the idea of Wright's organic architecture was to create a unity of the man-made building into the natural landscape. Wright seems to have extended his landscape far beyond the property lines at Graycliff. Wright positioned Graycliff to create a solar calendar. The house becomes a sundial, marking the start of the summer season. There are references to this alignment of the sun expressed in both the plan for Graycliff and by decorative stonework found within the fabric of the dwelling.
	Graycliff was built in 1927, just a few years after Wright completed designing his textile block homes in California. These houses were influenced in some degree by Wright's interest in Mayan architecture. The Maya's, in many cases, built their more important buildings and monuments in conjunction with the earth to the heavens. Wright accomplished an example of this celestial alignment at the Graycliff site. Graycliff was designed to take full advantage of the summer months as a residence for the Martin family during Darwin Martin's retirement years. As his wife Isabelle aged, her eyesight deteriorated. The Martin's home in Buffalo, designed by Wright in 1903, proved to be too dark for Mrs. Martin. It's broad, overhanging eaves and beautiful art glass windows filtered too much of the natural light. Her need for abundant natural light was of utmost importance when Wright considered the design for Graycliff. The summer home was to be built not only to take advantage of the sunlight, but to embrace the light and make it part of the architecture. Click page 2 below.

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