Catalogue Entry

Figure 1: Photo of the Demolition of the Larkin Administrative Building. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Larkin Building: Myth and Fact, Jack Quinan.

Figure 2: Photo of the Demolition of the Larkin Administrative Building. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Larkin Building: Myth and Fact, Jack Quinan.

Figure 3: Article from Buffalo Evening News, October 15, 1947

Figure 4: Article from BEN, September 14, 1949, about the use of the lot.

Figure 5: Article from BEN about the shifting of the use of the site. The site was then turned into a parking lot.

Figure 6: This photo shows the only remaining part of the Larkin Administrative Building. Photo taken by Jerry Puma.

Diagram Created to Show the Evolution of Demolition. Made by Joshua Rubbelke.

The topic that I have been researching is the demolition of the Larkin Administrative Building. In 1904, Frank Lloyd Wright built his first major public work in Buffalo, NY; an administrative building for the Larkin Soap Company. John D. Larkin wanted to consolidate his office departments into a single administration building that met his desire for a humane working environment. When the building was completed in 1906, it contained many employee amenities that were not found in other Buffalo companies at the time. Those amenities included air conditioning, day lighting from a large 6-story window, and large floor space. It also had a massive structure with floors ten inches thick supported by twenty-four inch steel girders; a key contributor to the long demolition time.You can see the massiveness of the structure in figures 1 and 2.

The spectacular building didn’t last very long. By 1947, the building was a wreck. It had been abandoned due to bankruptcy and had not fared well since. The building was built as a machine for the mail order business and other companies had trouble finding a use for the building. Eventually, the building was left obsolete. Every double-paned window was shattered (figure 3), the entrance gate was toppled, and the iron fence topping the brick wall around the structure went into a wartime scrap collection. Twenty tons of copper plumbing and roofing, along with anything else of value, were also stolen. It became a site where neighborhood children would play among the rubble and throw bricks at visitors passing by. In 1950, the building was finally demolished to make way for a new truck terminal (figure 4) but the Western Trading Company decided to build on a different site. The Larkin site was then turned into a parking lot for the factory building next door (figure 5). The building was demolished by Morris & Reimann. The demolition took 5 months because the building was “built to stand forever.” Frank Lloyd Wright wrote in his autobiography that he was pleased at the amount of time it took to demolish the building. He knew the building had served its purpose and that it needed a decent burial. “They [The Larkins] never realized the place their building took in the thought of the world — for they never hesitated to make senseless changes in it in after years” (Frank Lloyd Wright, An Autobiography, p.152). The leftover concrete and brick rubble were used to fill in the Ohio Basin creating what is now Father Conway Park. The only remaining part of the Larking Administrative Building is a pier on the side of the old site (figure 6). The 24 inch girders are now shoring up coal mines in West Virginia. This brings up the idea of an evolution of demolition ending with the circulation of materials to build other structures.

When one thinks of demolition, it is usually intended to be a bad thing. In certain instances, it could be considered a bad thing but to me, there is an evolution of demolition that starts when the building becomes obsolete. The children playing among the rubble and throwing bricks around, thieves stealing valuables, parts going into wartime scrap piles; this is all the start of the evolution. The next step of the evolution is the degradation of the building. The building starts to sit and crumble and no one wants anything to do with it because of how it looks. It could be subject to new ecosystems or a new home for a man without a home. This is an example of something good coming from something bad. The demolition of the building is the next step followed by the circulation of materials. The Larkin Building was circulated to West Virginia and the Ohio River Basin. There is a possibility that this has been happening to other demolished buildings for quite a while. Now, Father Conway Park is recognized as one of the best parks in Buffalo. This leads to the final step in the evolution, re-creation. The materials are used to re-create other amenities or buildings; something good coming out of something bad.

The three key topics that I would focus on in addition to the demolition of the Larkin Administrative Building are demolition across the United States, the rebuilding of demolished structures, and obsolescence.

Looking at other structures being demolished and comparing them to the Larkin Building would put different perspectives on demolition during the 1900’s. The most significant building being the Pruitt-Igoe complex. Another building that could be compared is the Penn Station. Both of these buildings have different stories that could be told and demolition could be looked at in more than one way.

There has been a lot of talk about rebuilding the Larkin Building and whether or not it is a good idea. The company at the head of this movement is the Larkin Development Group. They have started rebuilding the Larkin District in Buffalo and might have ideas to rebuild the Larkin Administrative Building. Fort Stanwix could be thrown into this mix along with the buildings that have been rebuilt by the LDG. The Doug Martin House is also a rebuilt demolished building built by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Obsolescence is another big issue in the United States. Obsolescence is the state of being which occurs when an object, service, or practice is no longer wanted even if it is still in good shape or usable. Usually, it occurs when something “better” has come about. Usually it is preceded by a decline in popularity. An example: demolishing the Larkin Building and replacing it with a parking lot… because clearly, a parking lot is better than the Larkin Building? (sorry, it upsets me).

Bibliography:

“The Buffalo History Gazette.” : October 2011. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2013.

“Frank Lloyd Wright and His Forgotten Larkin Building.” Bearings RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2013.

PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2013.

Puma, Jerry. “Larkin.” Larkin. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2013.

Quinan, Jack. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Larkin Building: Myth and Fact. New York, NY: Architectural History Foundation, 1987. Print.

“Western New York Heritage Press.” Western New York Heritage Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2013.

WEBSITES/ARTICLES:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWfKWV__BBo

http://www.buffaloresearch.com/maps.html

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/28543/Buffalo/New+York+1950c+Nirenstein+City+Maps/New%20York/

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/buffalo/Larkin-Building-celebrates-100-years