Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Larkin Administration Building was constructed in 1904 as headquarters for the Larkin Soap Company, then a prosperous business in a growing city. The unique design of the office building, though such a large building was not customary for Wright, displayed his style well and was noted for several innovations, including air conditioning, stained glass windows, built-in desk furniture and suspended toilet bowls.

The company, like much of the City around it, faltered and never really recovered from the Great Depression. In 1943, Larkin sold the building and soon after declared bankruptcy. The City of Buffalo foreclosed upon the building in 1945 for back taxes, and it was eventually sold to the Western Trading Company, who demolished it in 1950 with plans to build a truck stop in its place. The truck stop never materialized, and a single brick pier is all the remains of the once-grand architectural gem.