The Darwin Martin House Complex and Graycliff are getting ready for close-up looks.

Wednesday marks the start of a five-day annual conference sponsored by the Chicago-based Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, with 200 Wright scholars and enthusiasts from 27 states and Canada planning to tour Wright sites and other architectural marvels, and hold panel discussions on preserving Wrights legacy.

Its the second time in 20 annual meetings that the conservancy has come to Buffalo, the first since 1997. Since then, there has been the reconstruction of the Martin House Complex and the exterior restoration of the Isabelle R. Martin House in Derby, along with the removal of buildings at each site not designed by Wright.

"Its a good time for us to be judged by the Frank Lloyd Wright aficionados, and I think it will be a positive experience for all involved," said Mary Roberts, Martin House Restoration Corp.s chief executive officer.

"We are hoping they will be stunned and thrilled with changes that have been wrought," said Reine Hauser, Graycliff Conservancys executive director.

Other Wright tour stops include a limited visit to the Walter V. Davidson House on Tillinghast Place, Buffalo, and to the Edward E. Boynton House in Rochester, both private residences. There also are planned trips to the Guaranty Building, Kleinhans Music Hall, Goldome Building and Roycroft Campus in East Aurora, plus a downtown walking tour.

A visit is planned Thursday evening to the University at Buffalos Anderson Gallery to see "Frank Lloyd Wrights Buffalo Venture: From the Larkin Building to Broadacre City."

The extensive exhibition, curated by Wright scholar and UB art history professor Jack Quinan, documents all of Wrights Buffalo-connected buildings and projects, plus his long-standing relationship with patron Darwin D. Martin.

A source of controversy among Wright scholars has been the turning of unrealized Wright drawings into actual structures, especially in Buffalo. The conferences theme, "Wright in the Drafting Room: Drawings for the Built and the Unbuilt," was purposely chosen for Buffalo, said Quinan, curator of the Martin House.

Two projects, the Blue Sky Mausoleum in 2004, and the Charles and Marie Fontana Boathouse, in 2007, opened using unrealized plans drawn by Wright. A third project, a Wright-designed gas station, is planned to open in 2011 at the Buffalo Transportation/ Pierce-Arrow Museum, now under reconstruction.

Such projects have their defenders and detractors, although Quinan, like many scholars, questions their authenticity. He said a 9 a. m. Saturday panel, "Building the Unbuilt," could provide some sparks.

"There are so many positions, that I think having them aired will be pretty interesting," he said.

Quinan said the conference, along with one being held by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2011 and another by the Society of Architectural Historians in 2014, bodes well for Buffalo.

"Cumulatively, thats a lot of impact and interest in architectural issues here that I think will really be good for the city," Quinan said.

Neil Levine, the conservancys vice president and a leading Wright scholar, said hes looking forward to returning to Buffalo.

"Buffalo is a fantastic city in terms of architecture. Its as exciting as any place we could think of. Its the perfect time to come to Buffalo," said Levine, Gleason professor of the history of art and architecture at Harvard University, and the conservancys vice president.

The Graycliffs Hauser said shes anxious for the conference to begin.

"Our volunteer gardeners have gone crazy planting mums. We cant wait for the conservancy to see Graycliff as it looks today."