Larkland

John D. Larkin- Table of Contents .............................. Museum District - Table of Contents

Larkland

Larkland: Five houses built by by John D. Larkin for his wife and family:

107 Lincoln Pkwy - John D. and Frances Larkin

65 Lincoln Pkwy - John Jr.

160 Windsor Ave. - Harry

175 Windsor Ave. - Charlie

176 Windsor Ave. - Daisy and Harold Esty

Larkland History

Highlights of Buffalo's History, 1912

Click on photos for larger size and information


John D. Larkin. Brother-in-law William Heath. Son John, Jr. Son Harry.	Son-in-law Harold Esty. Darwin Martin. Son-in-law Walter Robb.	Mrs. Frances ("Frank") Larkin	Marble Georgia ad featuring 107 Lincoln Pkwy (Demolished)

107 Lincoln Pkwy - Demolished.	107 Lincoln Pkwy - Demolished.	The Onondaga limestone wall along Lincoln Pkwy. just to the north (left) of the gates to 65 Lincoln Pkwy	65 Lincoln Pkwy Built for John Jr. Now known as Buffalo Seminary's "Larkin House"


160 Windsor Ave. Built for son Harry	160 Windsor Ave.	160 Windsor Ave..	160 Windsor Ave.

160 Windsor Ave.	Harold Esty on Windsor Avenue in 1925


175 Windsor Ave.. Built for son Charlie	175 Windsor Ave.	175 Windsor Ave..	175 Windsor Ave..

175 Windsor Ave..	175 Windsor Ave. Main entry on north (left) side of house	175 Windsor Ave.. Rectangular bay window above main entry on north (left) side of house	175 Windsor Ave.

175 Windsor Ave. South (right) side of house


176 Windsor Ave. Built for Daisy & Harold Esty	176 Windsor Ave.	176 Windsor Ave.	176 Windsor Ave..

176 Windsor Ave..	176 Windsor Ave..		Map of Larkland

Larkland History

Larkland History
By Bonnie Bristol Clesse, Writer / Mary Beth Parrinello, Historian

In February of 1909, John Durrant Larkin, Senior, founder of Larkin Company, purchased an entire city block of land known as Rumsey's Wood. Bordered by Rumsey Road and Forest and Windsor Avenues, the property fronted on Lincoln Parkway. Larkin and his wife Frances called it Larkland and proceeded to have beautiful homes built there for themselves and four of their children (Charles, Frances, John D. Junior, and Harry). Each house had a garage with an apartment for the chauffeur's family above and a heating plant in the basement below. The heat was carried via steam pipes through a tunnel connecting the garage to the house.
In addition to the homes, there were greenhouses and utility buildings on the grounds. A road was built through the compound from Forest Avenue to Rumsey Road for deliveries of coal and other necessities. Finally, a limestone wall surrounded the whole property. Truly Larkland was a very extensive and beautiful estate.

Sadly, the main mansion of Frances and John D. Larkin Senior was demolished in 1939. The grandest, most lavish home of all, it had overlooked Delaware Park from the corner of Lincoln and Rumsey. The four children's homes at 160, 176 and 17S Windsor and 65 Lincoln remain with the original limestone wall to give us an interesting glimpse into the lifestyle of one of Buffalo's premier families.

John Durrant Larkin, Junior, worked in the family business as the general manager assistant to Treasurer Darwin Martin and finally, president. Married in 1900, he and Edna Crate moved into 65 Lincoln Parkway in 1915. There, they raised their three children, J. Crate, John III, and Mary Frances.

After her parents' deaths in 1945 and 1948, the tedious task of sorting through their belongings and extensive collections fell to their only daughter, Mary Frances Larkin Kellogg. To make this job easier, she and her husband, Howard Kellogg, Junior son of the founder of Spencer Kellogg Company, moved into the house with their six children. (Interestingly, the Kelloggs' own home at 12 Middlesex was the 1987 Decorators' Show House.)

In 1954 The Buffalo Seminary acquired and furnished The Buffalo Seminary Larkin House through the generosity of the Larkin and Kellogg families, Buffalo Seminary Graduates Association and many friends of the Seminary. The house has been used as the headmaster's residence and for social functions. In 1981 Larkin House, as it was known, was the first of the biennial Decorators' Show Houses. In 1999 it is the tenth, the only site visited twice.

The seven children of John and Frances Larkin:

Charles ("Charlie")

b. 1875. in Hudson, suburb of Chicago
Elected director of Larkin Soap Mfg. Co. when Elbert Hubbard resigned in 1893, even though he had 4 years of college ahead of him
Graduated from Lafayette College in 1899
M. Mary Alice Whitin of Whitensville, Mass, whom he had met through his sister Daisy, at St. Agnes School in Albany. M as soon as he graduated from college in 1899
Charlie left Buffalo in 1919 and moved to California
175 Windsor Avenue deeded to him in 1917

Frances Alberta ("Daisy")

b. 1876
M. Harold M. Esty in 1899. Harold had come from Framingham, Mass, to attend the Buffalo's Heathcote School on Delaware Ave.. run by his relatives. Soon employed by his future father-in-law
176 Windsor Avenue deeded to her and her husband in 1917

John Jr.

b. 1877
Attended Lafayette College 1896-97.
Hired by Larkin company in 1898.
M. Edna Crate in 1900
Three children: J. Crate, John III, and Mary Frances.
Elected president of Larkin company after his father died
65 Lincoln Parkway deeded to him in 1917

Edith May

1879-1885
Died in accident after her clothing caught on fire

Harry Hubbard

b 1881
Graduated from Lafayette College in 1903, majoring in Chem.
Hired by co. in 1903
M. Ruth Williams
Elected president of Larkin company in 1939 after John Jr. taken ill and confined to home.
160 Windsor Avenue deeded to him in 1917

Hubbard

Died in infancy 1887

Ruth Read

b. 1891
M. Walter Robb (Larkin Co. executive)
Moved into 107 Lincoln with 2 children after Frances died

The Residences of John and Frances Larkin:

1875-1876 ...213 Eagle St.

1876-1884? ...218 Swan St.

1887-1901? ...125 Hodge

1901-1912 ...237 North St. (purchased from Frank H Goodyear in 1901)

1912-1926 ...107 Lincoln Parkway
...("Frank" died in 1922; John died in 1926)

"Larkland" Houses:

In 1909 Larkin purchases a parcel of Rumsey's Woods (Ansley Wilcox represented Rumsey estate)
Names the Lincoln Pkwy./Windsor Ave../Forest Ave../Rumsey Rd. block "Larkland"
Limestone wall surrounding the block begun almost immediately
The houses for the three sons were completed by 1915 and deeded to the children in 1917
A service road cut through the block from Rumsey Road to Forest Avenue which provided fro delivery of coal and other necessaries. In the center of the block was the large garage for 107 Lincoln with an apartment for Charles Pratt, the chauffeur, and his family, and next came the greenhouses and utility buildings.
Each of the other three houses on the block had its own garage with an apartment for the chauffeur and his family, and each of the houses had its heating plant in the garage basement with a connecting tunnel for the steam pipes.
Stables, garages for all the hosues designed in 1913 by Wood & Bradney. The firm is best known for the Sidway and Spaulding building at Main & Goodell. Bradney lived at 547 Franklin

107 Lincoln Parkway

Built 1910-1912.
Designed by McCreary, Wood & Bradney (McCreary, Wood & Bradney designed the house of John D. Larkin, Sr. McCreary left the firm in 1910, so it was Wood & Bradney that designed the 3 houses for his sons that still stand today.)
Stable & Garage designed 1910 by McCreary, Wood & Bradney
Description of the house: Exterior was of white brick with marble pillars. It was set far back from the street among the trees. The entrance door facing the park had a heavy bronze knocker in the form of an eagle, bearing the inscription "Larkland, 1909.
Mr. & Mrs. Larkin moved in with their daughter, Ruth. The first party in the house, in 1912, was Ruth's coming-out party. Three years later, she married Walter Robb in the big, white-paneled central hall.
Frances ("Frank") died in 1922; John died in 1926)
Demolished 1939, victim of Depression. At the time of demolition, the Larkin daughter, Ruth, and her husband Walter Robb lived in the house. According to a contemporary newspaper article, after demolition, they planned to move into 160 Windsor, originally Harry's house.

65 Lincoln Parkway

Built for John Jr.
Designed in 1912 by Wood & Bradney
Completed by 1915. Deeded to John Jr. in 1917
Presently (2001) owned by Buffalo Seminary and known as the "Larkin House"

160 Windsor Avenue

Built for Harry
Designed in 1912 by Wood & Bradney

175 Windsor Avenue

Built for Charlie
Designed in 1912 by Wood & Bradney

176 Windsor Avenue

Built for Daisy & Harold Esty
Designed 1910 by McCreary, Wood & Bradney
Begun 1910
First house on block.

Special thanks to Daniel I. Larkin, John Larkin's grandson and author of "John D. Larkin: A Business Pioneer," pub. by Western New York Wares, 1998, for sharing his time and knowledge in an interview.

Sources:

"John D. Larkin: A Business Pioneer," by Daniel I. Larkin. Pub. by Western New York Wares, 1998

"City to Lose Old Showplace When Larkin Home is Razed," by Mary Nash, in The Buffalo Evening News, May 26, 1939

Martin Wachadlo, Consultant\

1875-1876	...213 Eagle St.
1876-1884?	...218 Swan St.
1887-1901?	...125 Hodge
1901-1912	...237 North St. (purchased from Frank H Goodyear in 1901)
1912-1926	...107 Lincoln Parkway ...("Frank" died in 1922; John died in 1926)