Larkin Administration Building

Buffalo, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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The Larkin Administration Building was Frank Lloyd Wright's first commercial design, an office building constructed between 1903 and 1906 for the Larkin Soap Company at 680 Seneca Street in Buffalo, New York. Designed with ornamentation by sculptor Richard Bock, the structure comprised a six-story main building and five-story annex connected by a lower entrance pavilion. Its dark red brick and steel frame exterior featured minimal ornamentation aside from prominent corner piers and facade detailing, with interiors organized around two light courts. The building housed mail-order operations and administrative offices on its upper floors, while the basement contained machinery and service spaces; the fifth story included dining areas, and the annex provided lounges, locker rooms, restrooms, and a classroom. It incorporated cutting-edge innovations for its era, including central air conditioning and built-in furniture. Abandoned after 1944 and left derelict for years despite redevelopment proposals, the building was demolished between February and July 1950, with only one pier and scattered decorations surviving.

Architect

Frank Lloyd Wright

Type: office building
Place: Buffalo, United States

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Location

42.87681, -78.85181