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FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT'S MARTIN HOUSE CORPORATION

BUFFALO, NY · EIN 161426693 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A800 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Medium ($1M-$10M) · martinhouse.org
revenue
$2.9M
expenses
$3.1M
net assets
$48.8M
employees
40
volunteers
350
program ratio
57%
mission · from form 990

THE MISSION OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT'S MARTIN HOUSE IS TO PRESERVE, INTERPRET, PROMOTE AND SUSTAIN AN INTEGRATED COMPOSITION OF WORLD-CLASS ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN AND LANDSCAPE.

profile · synthesized from sources

Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House is a nonprofit preserving and interpreting a National Historic Landmark designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Buffalo, NY. The organization offers public tours, educational programs, exhibitions, and a creative residency for artists and scholars. Its mission is to sustain and promote the integrated architecture, design, and landscape of the Martin House complex for future generations.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Collecting Ourselves – The Objects of Martin House
Exhibition exploring the history, loss, recovery, and conservation of art glass, furniture, and ephemera from the Martin House, highlighting the role of collections in historic preservation.
Creative Residency Program
Competitive residency offering artists and researchers stipends and access to the Martin House campus to develop new works inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture and design.
Public Tours and Education Programs
Guided tours, virtual programs, and educational initiatives for students and visitors to engage with the architecture, history, and cultural significance of the Martin House.
Volunteer Program
Engages volunteers in docent-led tours, collections care, landscape maintenance, museum store operations, and event support.
activities · 9 groups

What they do

  • Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 1 activity
    • Creative residency program for artists and researchers
      Operates a project-based residency program that provides time, space, housing in the Gardener’s Cottage, and financial support (including a $5,000 stipend and up to $1,000 in travel assistance) for creative individuals to develop new works inspired by the Martin House. Residents are required to present free public programs, exhibitions, or performances, such as artist talks, poetry workshops, contemporary ballet, and social sculptures.
  • Event Venue Rental Services 1 activity
    • Event hosting at the Martin House estate
      Provides event hosting services at the Martin House for social and professional gatherings, utilizing the historic site as a venue for community and institutional events.
  • Guided Historic Site Tours 1 activity
    • Guided tours and visitor services
      Provides guided tours for visitors and supports guest services through volunteer staffing, offering educational experiences focused on architecture, design, art, and landscape for all ages and skill levels.
  • Historic Building Restoration and Preservation 1 activity
    • Preservation and interpretation of the Martin House complex
      Preserves, interprets, promotes, and sustains Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House as an integrated composition of architecture, design, and landscape, operating it as a National Historic Landmark and New York State Historic Site under a cooperative agreement with state and university entities. Maintains the fully restored estate as a symbol of civic identity and cultural pride.
  • Architecture and Design Public Education Programs 1 activity
    • Public exhibition programming on Martin House history and collections
      Organizes and presents exhibitions such as "Collecting Ourselves" and "The Space She Keeps" that explore the history, loss, recovery, and future of art glass, furniture, artwork, and ephemera from the Martin House, including collaborative curation with institutional partners and thematic exploration of gender roles and women's experiences in the early 20th century.
  • Historic Site Public Programming 1 activity
    • Public programming highlighting conservation and institutional collaboration
      Hosts public programming and exhibition content that highlights donor contributions, inter-institutional loans, conservation work, and the role of house museums in preserving historic collections.
  • Educational Field Trips and Experiential Outings 1 activity
    • Support for school visits and educational access
      Provides transportation funding support for school learning trips to the Martin House in partnership with the Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association, enabling student access to educational programs and tours.
  • Museum-Based Educational Outreach 1 activity
    • Virtual and digital educational programming
      Offers virtual educational programs aligned with New York State Learning Standards for K-12 students and educators, as well as virtual reality 3D tours of the Martin House with informative videos to broaden access to the site and its history.
  • Museum Volunteer Engagement & Operations Support 1 activity
    • Volunteer docent training program
      Offers an 8-week training program for volunteer docents to prepare them for roles in guiding tours, supporting guest services, and assisting with education programs at the Martin House.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.86M
Contributions & grants$1.36M48%
Program service revenue$910K32%
Investment income$93K3%
Other revenue$499K
expenses
Total expenses$3.08M
Program expenses57%
Admin / overhead37%
Fundraising6%
Salaries & benefits$1.62M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$49.23M
Cash$857K
Investments$2.41M
Liabilities$391K
Net assets$48.84M
Liquid reserves12.7 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +26.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
JESSIE FISHER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $151K
board members · 22
  • ANNA STOLZENBURG — BOARD MEMBER
  • BRIAN J CONNOLLY — BOARD MEMBER
  • DANIEL J ZIMMER — PRESIDENT
  • DANIEL LYNCH — BOARD MEMBER
  • DOUGLAS C BEAN — VICE PRESIDENT
  • ELLA M OWENS — BOARD MEMBER
  • HOLLY D MERGENHAGEN — BOARD MEMBER
  • JAMEL C PERKINS — BOARD MEMBER
  • JEFFREY A WELLINGTON — BOARD MEMBER
  • JESSICA P CHUE — BOARD MEMBER
  • JOHN E SIEGEL — TREASURER
  • JOHN N WALSH III — BOARD MEMBER
  • KEVIN J CAVALIERI — TREASURER
  • KIMBERLY R NASON — BOARD MEMBER
  • MICHELE AGOSTO — BOARD MEMBER
  • PATRICK J KALER — VICE PRESIDENT
  • R LORRAINE COLLINS PHD — BOARD MEMBER
  • REBECCA BRADY — BOARD MEMBER
  • SATISH K TRIPATHI — EX-OFFICIO
  • SUSAN A WARREN — BOARD MEMBER
  • TIMOTHY J MCPOLAND — BOARD MEMBER
  • TUONA BATCHELOR — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 39

Who they work with

  • 716.856.3858 Partner — Contact phone number for the Education Team
  • Buffalo History Museum Partner — Contributed rarely-exhibited works from its collection to the exhibition "The Space She Keeps"
  • Buffalo Homes Partner — Donated time and talent to capture photographs of the estate for the Martin House website.
  • Buffalo Sabres Partner — Represented on the board by Anna Stolzenburg
  • Buffalo Seminary Partner — Contributed rarely-exhibited works from its collection to the exhibition "The Space She Keeps"
  • Buffalo and Erie County Public Library Partner — Contributed rarely-exhibited works from its collection to the exhibition "The Space She Keeps"
  • Danny Bush Visuals Partner — Donated time and talent to produce the homepage video for the Martin House website.
  • Erie 1 BOCES Partner — Represented on the board by Daniel Lynch
  • Ethan Allen Home Interiors Partner — Represented on the board by Michael Osika in an ex officio capacity
  • HSBC USA Partner — Represented on the board by Jessica P. Chue
  • Herer Family Charitable Fund Funder — Funded the Martin House Creative Residency Program
  • Lumsden & McCormick LLP Partner — Represented on the board by Cheryl A. Jankowski
  • M&T Bank Partner — Presenting sponsor of the "Collecting Ourselves" exhibition at Martin House
  • M&T Bank Partner — Presenting sponsor of the "Collecting Ourselves" exhibition.
  • M&T Bank Partner — Presenting sponsor of the exhibition "The Space She Keeps"
  • National Endowment for the Arts Government — Funder supporting the "Collecting Ourselves" exhibition.
  • National Endowment for the Arts Government — Partial funder of the "Collecting Ourselves" exhibition at Martin House
  • New York State Government — Member of New York’s network of historic sites.
  • New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Government — Contributed rarely-exhibited works from its collection to the exhibition "The Space She Keeps"
  • New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Government — Cooperatively operates Martin House under a formal agreement.
  • New York State Parks Office of Historic Preservation Government — Represented on the board by Mark Mistretta and Daniel Mackay
  • Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association Partner — Provides transportation funding support for school learning trips to the Martin House.
  • Parkside Community Association Partner — Represented on the board by Braden J. Pritchard
  • Phillips Lytle, LLP Partner — Represented on the board by Catherine N. Cervone
  • Pine Mountain Settlement School Partner — Contributed rarely-exhibited works from its collection to the exhibition "The Space She Keeps"
  • Rich Products Partner — Represented on the board by Alvino Battistoni
  • SUNY Adirondack Library Partner — Contributed rarely-exhibited works from its collection to the exhibition "The Space She Keeps"
  • SUNY Buffalo Special Collections Partner — Contributed rarely-exhibited works from its collection to the exhibition "The Space She Keeps"
  • Smith College Special Collections Partner — Contributed rarely-exhibited works from its collection to the exhibition "The Space She Keeps"
  • Sodexo Partner — Represented on the board by Jamel Perkins
+ 9 more
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Collections-Based Restoration for Historical Authenticity
    methodology: collections-based_restoration
    By recovering and studying original artifacts—such as art glass, furniture, and artwork—selected or designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the organization ensures historically accurate restoration and interpretation, because these objects are essential to understanding the Martin House as a lived-in, intentional work of art and design.
  • Creative Residency Program for Inclusive Interpretation
    methodology: inclusive_interpretation
    By hosting multidisciplinary artists and researchers through a competitive residency program, the organization expands public interpretation of the Martin House with diverse perspectives and contemporary relevance, because exposing the site to varied creative voices fosters inclusive, evolving narratives beyond traditional architectural history.
  • Integrated Preservation of Architecture, Design, and Landscape
    methodology: integrated_preservation
    By preserving and interpreting Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House as a unified composition of architecture, design, and landscape, the organization promotes deeper public understanding and appreciation of Wright’s holistic vision, because experiencing the site as an integrated whole reveals its full cultural and historical significance.