What kind of Job are we doing?

                                                   



A few days ago our esteemed director sent me a couple comments about docents and volunteers and suggested I look at other sources like Yelp.com and tripadvisor .com for Graycliff.  I spent several hours reading through comments about Graycliff made by guests on a number of different sites.

People comment through our website, too...just in the last week or so we received comments from:

 Anne and Gary Martin from Cambridge, Ontario:  We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Graycliff and look forward to coming again and seeing the restoration as it progresses. A very big thank you to the gentleman who runs the shop and our tour guides, especially the lovely lady who very generously gave us her passes to the fair! I apologize for not making note of everyone's names, but I'm sure you will know who we mean! Thank you!

Patricia Nolan fron Erie, PA, about Mary Wilde:  Our group was very pleased with our docent, she did a beautiful job, giving information and moving the group through the grounds with the grace the house deserves. I was surprised by the group itself, it was a mix of no nothings to know it all!!!

I found some interesting things.  TripAdvisor gives Graycliff 4 stars out of five.  Some recent comments expressed unhappiness with construction in progress....due to the landscape restoration.  And there are always a few comments from a few people  upset that Graycliff's restoration is not yet complete, or that they just can't walk the grounds without paying for a tour.

However, the one universal element through almost all the comments was a strong appreciation for the knowledge level and enthusiasm of the docents.  There were numerous comments about the friendly and helpful staff and the untiring work of volunteers and how amazing it is that Graycliff functions almost entirely on a volunteer basis.  At least half of the comments I read mentioned their docent as being a real plus to their Graycliff experience.

Here are the three most recent comments on TripAdvisor:

folkways

Georgetown

Top Contributor

 122 reviews

 35 attraction reviews

 Reviews in 48 cities

 43 helpful votes

“Success in our third attempt.”

Reviewed August 15, 2013 NEW

We had been here before but arrived too late for the last tour. This trip we made a reservation but an unplanned business meeting delayed our arrival so a postponement was necessary. The staff was very accommodating and understanding. By staying overnight in Buffalo, we were able to upgrade to the longer tour. That was a good idea. The luck of the draw gave us Marsha as our tour guide.

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Visited August 2013

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Mathyew

Madison, Wisconsin

Top Contributor

 78 reviews

 32 attraction reviews

 Reviews in 52 cities

 83 helpful votes

“Great Piece of FLW Architecture”

Reviewed August 3, 2013

The setting on a cliff overlooking Lake Erie is a wonderful spot for this house - and obviously influenced FLW's design of it. As other posts have stated, the house is undergoing a lot of renovation so feels a bit like a construction zone. However, that didn't bother me - I think it actually provided a real canvas to understand what subsequent owners did to the property, and I found it interesting to see what it is taking to strip it back to FLW's original plan. Plus, it was still fairly easy to see the design ideas. We had a great guide who truly loved Wright's work which also made the tour a joy.

Visited July 2013

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WesternNYTravelFrog

Dunkirk, New York

Top Contributor

 85 reviews

 22 attraction reviews

 Reviews in 43 cities

 32 helpful votes

“Much Progress Has Been Made”

Reviewed August 3, 2013

Much has been written in previous reviews of this FLW designed summer 

cottage on Lake Erie SW of Buffalo regarding its unfinished state when 

compared to other, more well known Wright residences, including some 

nearby. I want to take issue with reactions I've read here. First, none of the 

writers saw the condition of the buildings and grounds as much as 20 years 

ago when the entire property was in a VERY sad state of repair with many ill-

conceived additions and general lack of maintainence. We've visited on 

three occasions over about a 15 year period and while the restoration is NOT 

complete, it has come an incredible distance given the paucity of funding 

available at any one time. The Graycliff Conservancy is to be congratulated 

on inroads they have accomplished in a relatively short period of time. It is 

worth recalling that this entire property was on the verge of complete 

demolition and conversion to a condo site as recently as 1997. When we 

visited today, the exterior of all buildings was about 95% complete and l

landscaping of the front of the property is 100% complete. While it is true 

that the interior is not in pristine condition, the exposed bones of the structure are 

as informative to even a neophyte as a sparkling clean completed 

restoration.  Our docent, the president of the Conservancy, made no apologies for where 

the restoration progress is at this point. None are necessary. It simply is a 

work in progress. This is a very worthwhile residence to visit and will only 

become more interesting as solutions to almost insurmountable issues are 

found and executed. Kudos to the Conservancy and its members!





























George Struebel