page_title: Architecture of Buffalo, New York
section_title: Larkin Administration Building
hierarchical_section_title: Architecture of Buffalo, New York / Landmarks, monuments and public places / Larkin Administration Building
context_page_description: The Architecture of Buffalo, New York, particularly the buildings constructed between the American Civil War and the Great Depression, is said to have created a new, distinctly American form of architecture and to have influenced design throughout the world.
context_section_description: The Larkin Administration Building was Frank Lloyd Wright's first commission in Buffalo. Larkin executive Darwin D. Martin hired Wright to design a building that would house the large number of clerks needed to operate the mail-order business for the Larkin Soap Company.  Because the building would be located in an industrial part of town, it was necessary to make the building as attractive as possible to women, who made up the bulk of the white collar work force.
  The Larkin building was Wright's first commercial commission and he designed not just the building, but also the furniture, light fixtures and the china for the workers' cafeteria. Where possible, files and furniture were built into the structure, and he created desks with attached chairs that could swivel to save room. Wright included a pipe organ for lunchtime entertainment, a lending library and a conservatory to allow employees to rest and commune with nature.  The Larkin Administration Building is significant for its comprehensive design, where every element performed a specific task, as well as being the first modern office building that separated blue-collar and white-collar workers.
  The Larkin Company went out of business in 1937, and the building was sold.  Eventually, the City of Buffalo took it over for back taxes planning to demolish it for a trucking plaza.  Despite community outcry, the building was torn down in 1950.
caption: Larkin Administration Building, 1906
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