Thursday, January 21, 2016

Taliesin West






Today as we are on the eve of a blizzard, I thought it would be nice to take you to a very warm place in the desert.  Taliesen West, was the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright.  It is now the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.  On my birthday and anniversary in October we booked a tour of this most wonderful place!





Taliesin West sits in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains near Scottsdale, Arizona.  Mr. Wright started building his winter home in 1937 with the help of his apprentices and other craftsmen.  Taliesin East was Mr. Wright's home in Spring Green, Wisconsin.


There are timed tours that we booked before leaving home, so we went into the reception center/ book store to get our tickets and wait for our guide.





Our guide began by telling us some information on Frank Lloyd Wright and his philosophy about building.





Mr. Wright started his career working for Louis Sullivan.  Frank Lloyd Wright learned much from his time working at that firm, but began to do jobs on the side.  This was frowned upon by the Adler and Sullivan firm and they decided to fire him.  So Mr. Wright ventured out on his own!  Prairie Style or organic architecture is what he became famous for.  He used what was locally available as far as materials.  Never wanting to take away from the natural beauty of the landscape, Mr. Wright's Taliesin West fits beautifully into the mountainside.  The many stones you see in this home came from the property.  He felt very strongly about using the materials from the land, if at all possible.






Mr. Wright  loved angles and it is quite evident here at Taliesin West.  Geometric shapes appealed to him.  He said the the circle was infinity, and the triangle was unity in structure, and the spire was aspiration, and the spiral was organic progress, and the square was integrity. 




  In his office we were told that he never had a telephone for his business and really didn't want electricity. He was born June 8, 1867 and died  April 9, 1959.  Frank Lloyd Wright's mother, Anna Lloyd Wright, was from a large Welsh family.  To honor his Welsh heritage he named his home Taliesin, which means "shining brow" in Welsh.  As I look at Taliesin I can see why he chose that name.  Of course Taliesin East was built first.  You can go HERE to see the similarities to the placement of the home into the hillside.


“No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other.”


~ Frank Lloyd Wright






Mr. Wright loved to sit outside in the evenings and gaze at the valley.  We noted the utility poles and wondered what he thought of them.  The small brown poles were the ones that he began to see in the 1940's.  He despised them so much he appealed to President Harry Truman to have the lines put underground.  Unfortunately President Truman was a little busy at the time and his appeal was refused.  Wright considered moving Taliesin to Tucson, but instead moved the entrance to the front of the building and declared never to look at the valley again!



Small brown poles not the large ones that Wright objected to



 

There are many objects of art around the property that were quite interesting.









We were directed into the Seminar Theater.  We learned about his use of glass in his design.







He was a pioneer in the use of glass as part of the structure.





Keep in mind that Frank Lloyd Wright was 70 years old when he built Taliesin West.  Our guide pointed out the fact that we are never too old to do great things!







The grounds around Taliesin West are just lovely.  Flowers and trees and lovely sculptures and very interesting architecture.


The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture was about to begin their new semester here at Taliesin West.  The students would be flying in on the weekend.  Our guide told us that each student would be designing a structure.  There is a dormitory on the grounds for the students or they could stay in a tepee.  The reason for staying in a tepee was to get close to nature and then build their design.







It was wonderful to visit Taliesin West!  Thank you for coming along!






   

20 comments:

  1. Amazing! Our utility lines are underground, but this was developed in the early nineties!:-) Yes, word is that you are in line to receive a bit of a storm for the week-end! Stay safe and warm! Hugs, Nellie

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    1. Nellie, our utility lines are underground also! I didn't even think it was possibility in the 1940's. We are under a blizzard warning. I do love snow, but hope everyone will be safe. Warm hugs to you! ♥

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  2. I think we needed this today Martha Ellen! I could feel the sunshine! We had a Frank Lloyd Wright near our home in Jackson. His designs were so distinctive! Lovely area to visit and I thank you SO much for sharing today!

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    1. Betsy, even though his design is a little too modern to my taste, I see genius in his work. Thank you for sharing the warmth with me today and your sweet comment! ♥

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  3. Thank you so much for a wonderful tour of Taliesen West today, Martha Ellen! It has been so long since my visit there. I had forgotten so many details. It's so interesting to learn the Welsh meaning of Taliesen!

    In Oak Park, just west of Chicago, we have visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Home and Studio. Walking through Oak Park is a wonderful opportunity to see many Prairie Style homes by FLW. He also designed Unity Temple there. My interest in Frank Lloyd Wright took me to Spring Green, Wisconsin long ago. Your wonderful post has stirred my memories... and now I must plan to visit these special places again! Heartfelt thanks for the inspiration! Stay safe in the snow storm, dear one. Warm hugs! ♡Dawn@Petals.Paper.SimpleThymes

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    1. Thank you, dear Dawn. Visiting Taliesin West has peaked my interest to visit more of the homes he designed. There are several in VA that we need to see. You have been to so many! He was an amazing architect with so many innovative ideas--way ahead of his time.
      Our snow storm has started in earnest. We have only a couple inches on the ground, but it is accumulating quite fast. We're prepared and hopefully we will not lose our electricity! Have a wonderful weekend, my friend! ♥

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  4. Martha Ellen, thank you for another interesting and informative post!! I love that you always include background/historical information along with your first hand observations and photos.

    We learned a bit about Frank Lloyd Wright at the beginning of last school year. He was quite an interesting person and so innovative in his design. I'd love to visit Fallingwater some day. Have you been there?

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    1. Thank you, Cheryl. I have not been to Fallingwater, but after visiting Taliesin West we are hoping to tour more of Frank Lloyd Wright's designs. There are so many!
      Stay safe and warm, my friend. ♥

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  5. He was an interesting man with amazing creativity. Where I lived in Illinios there were quite a few houses he designed. They were pretty easy to tell!

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    1. His designs are quite unique.. so different from traditional architecture! I hope to visit more of his designs. Stay safe and warm, Dotsie! ♥

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  6. That was a beautiful tour and one I'd like to be on in person today. I have always liked FLW architecture, but more as a novelty, not the kind I'd want to be my home. I've never thought of Wisconsin as east, but as another Wisconsin native, I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never visited Taliesin in Spring Green. It must have been in Chicago once that I saw a huge FLW exhibit. I do like the Prairie School style. Thanks for a great post. Isn't the SW fascinating. Have a wonderful weekend, Martha Ellen. xo

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    1. Judy, it is odd that Taliesin in Wisconsin is referred to as east and not north! His style is so modern for my taste, but I do appreciate his genius. The Southwest is so different to my East Coast upbringing! It is lovely in its uniqueness! Have a great weekend, Judy! ♥

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  7. There are many interesting things to look at on this property, Martha Ellen. I really liked that mother sculpture with the kids. It's very unique. The pool is shaped in such an unusual design, very cool. I didn't realize this foundation was in Arizona. Thanks for the terrific tour. This picture of you is so charming.

    Have a peaceful weekend, Martha Ellen.

    ~Sheri

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    1. Sheri, Taliesin West is a very unique property. It is full of so much beauty. FLW was a pioneer in his field. It was so interesting learning so much about him. Thank you for your sweet comments, my friend! ♥

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  8. I didn't realize Taliesin West was so close to Phoenix. Perhaps we will be able to visit. We've been to Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob in PA and his house in Oak Park, plus Pope-Leighey House in VA--all very unique. I love that you found a Frank Lloyd Wright song! ☺︎

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    1. Cathy, we have not been to any other places, except the Guggenheim,in NYC, that FLW designed. We will be planning to visit his other properties. You should plan to visit Taliesin West--it's only 30 minutes or so,away from Phoenix, just outside of Scottsdale, AZ.
      Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water album was a favorite of mine back in the day! This song was on that album.
      Stay safe and warm, dear Cathy. ♥

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  9. This post was also very informative. I am enjoying your trip west. I don't think that I could live in a Frank Lloyd Wright home, though they are very interesting to see. I remember one discussion of a mid-western Frank Lloyd Wright home where he separated the bedrooms from the living part of the home with an outdoor courtyard. Maybe good in theory, but not so great in practice. I have to say that I'm in total agreement with him about utility poles.

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    1. Vee, his designs are so unique but so modern and not to my taste. I think one would need "staff" to live in his homes. I'm sure he was devastated when he view was changed. I must say when my neighbors change "my view" it's upsetting. Have a warm, cozy evening, Vee! ♥

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  10. What an interesting place, thanks for taking us along. I admire the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and was glad to learn more. Stay warm!
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Amalia, he was such a genius! I think I have a much greater appreciation of his work after seeing Taliesin West. Have a wonderful weekend. xo ♥

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