John D. Larkin was a Buffalo entrepreneur, who around 1876, started the manufacturing of soap in Buffalo. His company's innovation of offering premiums with his product caused sales to skyrocket, and his company expanded and moved into mail order. He built the huge Larkin warehouse on Seneca St., which still stands. One of his employees, Darwin Martin, played a part in having Frank Lloyd Wright selected to design the Larkin Administration Building in 1904, which survived until 1950. This association resulted in several Frank Lloyd Wright commissions for private residences in the Buffalo area, many of which survive.