Posthumous FLW Boathouse

Designed in 1905 for the University of Wisconsin as a working boathouse but never built, Frank Lloyd Wright's Rowing Boathouse was one of Wright's most prized designs. His goal was to create something that would be the perfect blending of form and function. He also wanted to give the oarsmen of Wisconsin a boathouse they could not only use to become a rowing powerhouse in collegiate leagues, but a boathouse that would allow them the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of their surroundings.

In 2000, three long time rowing friends had the vision of this boathouse on the shores of the Niagara River where it meets Lake Erie. After many years of fundraising, negotiations and construction, the Boathouse opened in 2007 and today stands as one of the most unique architectural Wright designs - his only boathouse design. With the design retired, there will never be another built in the world. Rowing at the Fontana Boathouse is managed by the prestigious West Side Rowing Club, a one hundred year old organization dedicated to bring the sport of rowing to the youth of WNY.