Welcome to Taliesin West,
Home of Frank Lloyd Wright
Taliesin West is a national historic landmark nestled in the desert foothills of the McDowell Mountains outside of Scottsdale, AZ. It is also the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Taliesin, The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.
Wright’s beloved winter home and the bustling headquarters of the Taliesin Fellowship, Taliesin West was established in 1937 and diligently handcrafted over many years into a Utopian world unto itself. Deeply connected to the desert from which it was forged, Taliesin West possesses an almost prehistoric grandeur. It was built and maintained almost entirely by Wright and his apprentices, making it among the most personal of the architect’s creations
A lively community, Taliesin West is open to the public and offers a broad range of tours. Come experience the place that Wright called “the top of the world.”
Some of the sites you will see include the following:
WRIGHT’S OFFICE
Nestled into the hillside, Wright’s office, reception room and part-time design studio is the first building to greet visitors and set the architectural tone of the complex. With its elemental low-slung structures, Taliesin West is characterized by thick cement masonry walls and desert boulders supported by angular redwood trusses and capped by tent-like canvas ceilings. Typifying Wright’s ability to grasp the mood of the land and enhance its harmony and beauty, Wright’s Studio is a fitting introduction to this masterwork.
SCULPTURE GARDEN
An outdoor gallery of lyrical sculptures by Heloise Crista accents the Taliesin West grounds. Crista came to Taliesin in 1949 after reading Wright’s autobiography while studying at UCLA. As a Taliesin Fellow, she spent many years as a performer and costume designer for the Taliesin Festival of Music and Dance. Crista’s sculptures combine Wright’s philosophy with a dancer’s sensitivity to balance and movement. She continues to live and work as a sculptor at Taliesin West and is an active member of the Taliesin community.
KIVA
The Taliesin West kiva, which gets its name from an underground chamber used by Pueblo Indians for religious rites, first served as a private viewing room for Wright where he would indulge in his love of cinema, particularly old Westerns. The kiva also functioned as an informal lounge and library for the apprentices. Now principally a classroom and conference room, its roof continues to serve as a gathering area for afternoon tea.
MUSIC PAVILION
Taking advantage of the natural slope of the desert, the Music Pavilion keeps an intentionally low profile to maintain an uninterrupted sight line of the McDowell Mountains. Beneath a steel-framed roof of translucent plastic, a symphony of red seats, curtains, and flooring celebrates what Wright believed to be one of the life-giving colors of creation. The Pavilion continues to function as a multi-purpose hall for exhibitions, concerts, parties, and public meetings.
DRAFTING STUDIO
This stunning 96-foot-long expanse forms the architectural laboratory at the heart of Taliesin West. Wright believed that natural light greatly benefited the work environment and sought to blur the distinction between the inside and outside as much as possible. Underneath a soaring angular canvas roof, apprentices congregate at drafting tables to continue the architectural tradition that Wright began over 75 years ago. The Drafting Studio’s rugged drama, with its view onto a sunken garden, triangular pool and the horizon beyond, feels as though it has been rooted in the landscape for centuries.
Get more information on Taliesin West and other Frank Lloyd Wright homes here.