Who is Frank Lloyd Wright? He was an inventor, a businessman, but most of all, an architect. His notable buildings include the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Fallingwater in Pennsylvania and Gammage Auditorium right here on the ASU Tempe campus. He created buildings for wealthy clients out of his first home that he designed and built himself in 1911 in Wisconsin. He named it Taliesen.
After his doctor advised him to escape the cold Wisconsin winters, Wright visited central Arizona and, like most of us from out of state, fell in love with the winter weather. In 1937 he set up shop in the area of Northern Scottsdale (where basically nothing existed). He designed a second home and, with the help of his architect apprentices, built Taliesen West in the middle of the desert. He entertained his clients and countless celebrities at this home, including the legendary actor John Wayne.
You can still visit his home today as it stood when he first designed it. It still functions as an architectural school and still bustles with life. When Wright first opened the school, students paid $300 for tuition, room, and board. He also requested that they bring their own drafting tools and a tuxedo. Why a tuxedo? The school put on social nights that were run by Wright’s wife. They believed that if the students were going to be catering to wealthy clients, they had to have the social skills to dazzle them. The students helped to create Taliesen West and are still building student housing out in the desert as they did when Frank Lloyd Wright was alive.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is in charge of preserving the structures that he created and are doing a magnificent job. The tours and tour guides at Taliesan West are extremely insightful and have the answers to just about any question you throw at them. They’re passionate about what they do and their enthusiasm is contagious. I wasn’t familiar with Frank Lloyd Wright outside of Gammage Auditorium and walked through there as though I was waiting to see that structure all of my life. I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance to visit. I’ll leave you with a few pictures from Tom's and my visit of my favorite parts of Taliesen West.
The fountain outside the gift shop. The little square symbol is the official symbol of Taliesen West. Photo courtesy of Holly Solis
Wright used these little East Asian box art to transition from one place to another. The bell at the top is still used to call students and faculty to tea. Photo courtesy of Holly Solis
An outside view of the guest rooms (top floor), dining room and drafting rooms (first floor). The drafting rooms are still used by students to create building designs. Photo courtesy of Holly SolisWant to talk about Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations? Have a burning historical question? Drop us a line at sparkysquill@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @sparkysquill.
