Frank Lloyd Wright’s extraordinary vision lives on at Taliesin West

“And thou, America,” the passage begins, “thou too surroundest all, embracing, carrying, welcoming all, thou too by pathways broad and new approach the ideal.”

Created under the direction of iconic American architect Frank Lloyd Wright of Arizona in the 1950s, “Whitman’s Square,” as it is now known, forces visitors to turn their backs on the significant group of buildings known as Taliesin West and instead take in the commanding view of the Valley of the Sun. “It’s what Wright wanted you to see first,” says Jeff Goodman, spokesman for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Photo by Andrew Pielage

Wright, his wife Olgivanna, and their architectural apprentices started traveling to Arizona from Taliesin, the architect’s home and studio in Wisconsin, back in the 1920s while consulting on the Arizona Biltmore hotel and other projects. When Wright suffered a near-fatal bout of pneumonia around age 70, his doctor told him escaping the harsh Midwest winters would add 20 years to his life. As he was familiar with Arizona, moving permanently to the Valley was a natural choice.

In 1937, he settled on the 160 acres on which Taliesin West now sits, saying it felt like he was looking out over the rim of the world, and that the desert landscape reminded him of the ocean floor, with the cholla and ocotillo resembling coral and seaweed.

“Look at this incredible nature we have here. Wright’s organic architecture was about building in one with nature. That’s what inspired him to build Taliesin West, which just grows right out of the desert,” Goodman says.

Photo by Andrew Pielage

Over time, he acquired approximately 600 acres in the area. He and his apprentices began to craft and build a desert “camp.” Buildings on the site, constructed between 1938 and the mid-1950s, consisted of a drafting room, kitchen, dining room, living quarters, Wright’s office and more. There was also a half-submerged underground chamber based on the dwelling of the Pueblo Indians, known as the “Kiva,” and a larger playhouse called the Cabaret Theater.

Photo by Andrew Pielage

It was said when you for a Taliesin West stay in Wright’s day you were supposed to bring “a sleeping bag and a tuxedo”—the former because you would likely overnight in a tent in the desert; the latter to participate in the lavish parties held in the evenings, often frequented by Hollywood celebrities, Valley dignitaries, and other VIP friends of Wright’s.

Wright used Taliesin West as an architecture lab where he experimented with materials, forms and technology. Rocks were culled from the site, redwood was used for beams, and canvas for roofing material. His concepts—such as the open floor plan, large banks of windows with mitered corners, and the use of natural light—are all familiar to us today, but back then were considered quite radical. Furniture was even arranged to encourage interaction with the outside, with nature. While other architects of the day were emulating European design, Wright eschewed that to create a uniquely American style of architecture.

“It changed the way we relate to nature around us and the environment,” says Goodman, “and ultimately provided us much more beautiful ways of living and more opportunity for happiness.”

Frank Lloyd Wright of Arizona did indeed prolong his life by 20 years (21, to be exact) after his move to Arizona—and those last two decades ended up being the most prolific of his career, when he created approximately a third of his life’s work.

A stay at Taliesin West is a not-to-be-missed Arizona treasure—a National Historic Landmark that is also nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (along with several other Wright sites in the U.S.).

“Taliesin West is truly iconic,” says Goodman. “It could exist nowhere else except the Sonoran Desert in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is one of the most significant pieces of architecture in the world.”

Photo by Andrew Pielage

A variety of tours of the site is offered, varying in length and scope, with full descriptions and reservation information available at the Foundation’s website. In addition to the tours, the Foundation has committed to again utilizing Taliesin West as the “living laboratory” it was intended to be, including hosting cocktail parties on the Sunset Terrace, private dinners, and music and theatrical performances in the Music Pavilion, Cabaret Theater, and throughout the site.

On June 7, the Foundation will wrap up what has been a year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of Wright’s birth—just part of their ongoing mission to honor the legacy of the forward-looking architect who was constantly growing, constantly changing. “What kind of person, 150 years after his birth, can continue to inspire people?” says Goodman. “To me, that’s what makes Wright an icon. He’s timeless. We continue to use his spaces and his legacy to innovate how we build and live, inspiring people to think outside the box and do things differently.”