Frank Lloyd Wright fundamentals fulfill life long dream
Taliesin West Frank Lloyd Wright sanctuary
Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s sanctuary
Frank Lloyd Wright Great American architect
Frank Lloyd Wright, the greatest American architect of all time pioneered organic architecture and cultivated a legacy for his design philosophy by mentoring the next generation of American architects.
An eight-panel 19th-century Chinese screen called 100 flower offerings for longevity, made of fabrics and porcelain
From era-defining public commissions such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum to awe-inspiring residential works like the picturesque and aptly named Fallingwater vacation home, Wright’s work is a lesson in geometric possibility and maintaining that delicate balance between natural and purposeful.
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A creative mind like his was filled to the brim with designs – 1,114 to be exact (532 of which came to life, and about 400 are still standing).
Design sketches for the Guggenheim Museum, New York
By the time of the Great Depression (1929-1939), the public began to see Frank Lloyd Wright as past his prime. Despite perceptions, he was not. Of the eight buildings he designed listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites, four were created after 1929.
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Wright’s legacy was cemented in 1932 when he and his wife Olgivanna founded the Taliesin Fellowship to mentor aspiring architects.
A shadowy nook beside the Tower Pool, Frank Lloyd Wright
They created a community to provide on-site architectural training. The Fellowship emphasised a holistic approach to learning, encompassing not only architecture but also music, dance, drama, and other arts.
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Wright believed that a well-rounded individual would be a better architect. Apprentices were actively involved in all aspects of building projects, from drafting and design to construction and landscaping.
This hands-on experience was central to the Fellowship’s philosophy.
Elaborate Qing dynasty flourishes appear now and then as nods to scenery changes
He needed a working space for this community. In Wisconsin, this was Taliesin (Welsh for shining brow, to acknowledge his heritage).
Prairie-style architecture
Considered one of his most significant examples of Prairie-style organic architecture. Taliesin’s early history was one for the tabloids, with an arson started by a disgruntled employee, seven deaths caused by a chimney fire, and one electrical fire attributed to faulty electrical wiring.
Sculpture and art
However, Wisconsin winters were unforgiving, so Wright and the Fellowship fled to the desert foothills of the McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the winters from 1935 onwards. By 1937, Wright found the perfect spot to set up his winter residence.
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“WEATHER WARM BEAUTIFUL SITE IN HAND.” This was the opening line of the telegram that heralded the beginning of Taliesin West.
Beautiful flora
Sitting at the base of the McDowell Mountains, the surrounding area is dotted with Saguaro cacti and slender ephedra that thrive in verdant, feathery clusters.
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Wright’s message to his apprentices and personal secretary Eugene Masselink (still in Wisconsin) would have sounded like a late Christmas present.
Saguaro cacti and slender ephedra
Taliesin West became the Fellowship and Wright’s winter home and desert laboratory.
Japanese influences
Diligently handcrafted over many years, Taliesin West is a personification of Wright’s organic architectural philosophy, one that integrates buildings with the surrounding landscape and emphasises craftsmanship, natural materials, and a connection to nature.
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Japanese architecture also influenced the philosophy, particularly in his use of open floor plans and natural light.
Sketches of Wright’s modern designs for furnishing
Eager to get the work started, Wright’s telegraph continued by informing his apprentices to join him as soon as possible and bring with them shovels, hoes, a hose, tools, eighteen drawing boards, a wheelbarrow, a concrete mixer, melodeon oil stoves for cooking, a water heater, viola, cello, rugs, and “whatever else we need”.
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Once the fellowship arrived, a temporary camp was set up, and construction began. While initial structures were built between 1938 and 1941, the site has seen several expansions and renovations during and after Wright’s time.
An iron-wrought dragon looms above visitors, a gift to Mrs Wright for Christmas 1969
Wright once wrote that Taliesin West’s landscape was unrivalled in “sheer beauty of form and pattern”.
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Paying for the 491-acre property with only a US$3,100 cheque (approximately the modern equivalent of US$70,400), the lack of immediately accessible groundwater made the first few years at Taliesin West a trial for the Fellowship.
Warm weather and sunshine
In line with Wright’s learning by doing philosophy and bringing to life Wright’s desire to create a complex that seemed almost organically grown in the desert landscape, his apprentices constructed the complex structures and the furniture it would house.
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Most of the building materials, with the exception of cement, were derived from the surrounding area.
A dense rubber plant grows beside the breezeway, providing a view of the city and a constant, refreshing breeze
Redwood beams, desert masonry (a combination of locally sourced rock mixed with cement and desert sand), and glass panels are common motifs across all the Taliesin West rooms.
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The open expanse of each room provides immediate relief to visitors. This is no accident.
The interior of the Kiva, meaning a chamber built partly or wholly underground
Following Wright’s popular compression and release technique, the architect intentionally built entryways with low ceilings and narrow hallways to encourage movement towards the larger, open spaces, much like forest clearings.
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The Fellowship lived and worked on the Taliesin estate in Wisconsin during the summer and at Taliesin West in Arizona during the winter.
Wooden lamps in a simplified Art Deco style support the ambience of the Cabaret
This communal living fostered a strong sense of community and provided a unique learning environment. Wright played a direct and active role in the lives of his apprentices, mentoring them and guiding their development as architects.
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Wright’s Office is spartan in design. Opaque skylights and strategically placed windows let in a constant stream of natural light.
Bird’s eye view Frank Lloyd Wright
Only two hanging lamps dangle above Wright’s boardroom-sized table for additional illumination. Here, Wright would take his clients to view his work, letting them tower over the table for a true bird’s eye view of his designs.
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Much of Taliesin West echoes the surrounding landscape in an effortless rhythm and repetition. One example of this is the Prow Pool.
Tower Pool
Set at the very back of the complex, its triangular shape refers to the pointed peak of the mountains in the background. The mountains also influence the angular design of the redwood beams that support the 30 x 11 meters Drafting Studio.
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By the time visitors reach the Prow Pool, they’ll realise that all of the steps they have taken have been low to the ground, few in number, and stacked one atop the other.
Dramatic angles and earth tones are style-defining highlights at Taliesin West
Setting up a leisurely pace for apprentices and visitors alike, Taliesin West’s rhythm is a treat for the senses.
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Turning to the Sunset Terrace, I was struck by a familiar sight so far from home – a porcelain vignette of a Cantonese opera scene.
A bell tower and Chinese opera scene sit before the drafting studio
One of twelve scattered around the site, these characterisations are replicas of original scenes dating back to the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). Acquired in the spring of 1955, the scenes act as callouts to let viewers know they are about to shift between working and living spaces.
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The Fellowship began with twenty-three young people and grew as the years passed, requiring a larger gathering space.
Opened in 1950, the Cabaret was a regular gathering space for meetings, performances, movies, and more
That is why the Cabaret theatre came into being. Partially set underground, the long and narrow theatre was an ideal location to present, share ideas, perform, and even watch movies.
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To Wright, a space like this was non-negotiable. The arts weren’t just important. Wright firmly believed that they were essential, not only encouraging his apprentices to pursue the arts but also providing them spaces to do so.
Narrow at the stage and wider at the back, the narrow hallway into the Cabaret highlights the intimacy of the space
The Cabaret perfectly encapsulated his belief in designing for democracy – it was functional, the aesthetics were eloquent and humane, and it had an everyman approach.
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Over a thousand apprentices have participated in the Taliesin Fellowship throughout its history. Many became prominent architects, including John Lautner and Bruce Goff, and the Fellowship has played a crucial role in preserving and continuing Wright’s legacy.
The head of a Buddha statue greets you as you enter the Cabaret
“Buildings, like people, must first be sincere, must be true,” Wright asserted.
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He certainly did his best to seek out that truth with Taliesin West and the Taliesin Fellowship. As one of the architect’s most personal creations, the harmony Taliesin West provides with the natural environment continues cultivating the community he set out to create.
One of 12 Chinese theatrical vignettes, Qing dynasty replicas, acquired in the Spring of 1955
Taliesin West is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, but it is not a museum, as its original purpose remains true today.
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Taliesin Fellowship has been renamed the School of Architecture and continues to nurture the next generation of transformative visionaries and promote Frank Lloyd Wright’s legacy.
Text & Photo Victoria Mae Martyn
