By 1909, Frank Lloyd Wright's name had become synonymous with Prairie Style architecture. Although he was at the height of his career, it was during this time that he left his wife, Catherine, and his children in Chicago to travel to Europe with Martha (Mamah) Borthwick Cheney, the wife of a client, and the woman he had fallen in love with.[1] While this scandal meant that Wright would no longer be able to work in Chicago, he did manage to publish two portfolios of his work while in Europe, ensuring international recognition and influencing many other architects.[2] When Wright returned to the United States in 1911, it was to his childhood home of Wisconsin, where he set to work on building his home Taliesin (also known as Taliesin North), near Spring Green.[3]
According to Wright's autobiography:
Taliesin was the name of a Welsh poet, a druid-bard who sang to Wales the glories of fine art. Many legends cling to that beloved reverend name in Wales.
Richard Hovey's charming masque, 'Taliesin,' had just made me acquainted with his image of the historic bard. Since all my relatives had Welsh names for their places, why not Taliesin for mine? . . . Literally the Welsh word means 'shining brow.'
This hill on which Taliesin now stands as 'brow' was one of my favorite places when as a boy looking for pasque flowers I went in March sun while snow still streaked the hillsides. When you are on the low hill-crown you are out in mid-air as though swinging in a plane, the Valley and two others dropping away from you leaving the tree-tops standing below all about you.[4]
Taliesin was designed, like all of Wright's buildings, to work with the landscape. Polished stone floors were used to echo the natural, rocky setting of the home, with a lack of conventional walls - including the use of stone pillars, low partition walls and glass, as well as built-in furniture - creating a very open interior.[5]
Taliesin theater. Courtesy of Taliesin Preservation, Inc.
Although wracked by scandal, commissions did began to come in once again. Wright's career seemed to be back on track again, until in 1914, when tragedy struck. The cook at Taliesin went crazy and set fire to the building, simultaneously attacking and killing Mamah, her two children, and many others as they tried to escape.[6] Although heartbroken, Wright set about rebuilding Taliesin, although this would not be the end of its troubles. In 1925, the living quarters of Taliesin were destroyed by fire, this time due an electrical problem triggered by lightning.[7] Yet again, Wright immediately set about rebuilding. In addition to this fire, 1925 also marked the beginning of a new era for Wright. With the Great Depression ensuring a lack of commissions, Wright began an intense period of teaching and writing.[8] During the 1930s, he and his wife Olga Lazovich (whom Wright married in 1928) founded an architectural apprenticeship program at Taliesin known as the Taliesin Fellowship.[9] Established to provide a total learning environment, apprentices gained experience not only in architecture, but also in construction, farming, gardening, cooking, and other areas of study.[10]
Beginning in 1927, Wright began to visit Arizona for variety of different projects, and in 1937, having decided that he wanted a more permanent winter residence in the state, Wright purchased several hundred acres in Scottsdale.[11] It was here that he and the his Taliesin Fellowship apprentices began the construction of Taliesin West, a "Desert Camp" where they planned to live each winter to escape the harsh Wisconsin weather.[12] According to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation:
While initially constructed of stone, cement, wood, and canvas, Taliesin West gradually altered and expanded, with steel and fiberglass replacing less durable materials as the buildings became more permanent.[14] Like Taliesin North, Taliesin West drew much of its design inspirations from the surrounding scenery, with the windows, hearth and "origami" armchairs - named such because they appear to have been folded out of wood - all following a triangular motif drawn from the shape of the surrounding mountains.[15]
Taliesin West. Photography by Judith Bromley. Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
Beginning in 1927, Wright began to visit Arizona for variety of different projects, and in 1937, having decided that he wanted a more permanent winter residence in the state, Wright purchased several hundred acres in Scottsdale.[11] It was here that he and the his Taliesin Fellowship apprentices began the construction of Taliesin West, a "Desert Camp" where they planned to live each winter to escape the harsh Wisconsin weather.[12] According to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation:
Taliesin West, as conceived by Wright, was to be a bold new endeavor for desert living--"a look over the rim of the world," in the architect's own words. Taliesin West would serve as Wright's architectural laboratory for more than 20 years. There he tested design innovations, structural ideas, and building details. Taliesin West was for many years Wright's winter "camp" where he and his young apprentices took on the task of building their home, shop, school and studio, all the while responding to the dramatic desert setting.[13]
The interior of Taliesin West with hearth and "origami" armchairs. Photography by Judith Bromley. Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
While initially constructed of stone, cement, wood, and canvas, Taliesin West gradually altered and expanded, with steel and fiberglass replacing less durable materials as the buildings became more permanent.[14] Like Taliesin North, Taliesin West drew much of its design inspirations from the surrounding scenery, with the windows, hearth and "origami" armchairs - named such because they appear to have been folded out of wood - all following a triangular motif drawn from the shape of the surrounding mountains.[15]
Wright with Taliesin Fellowship apprentices. Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
[1] Marie Clayton, "Introduction," Frank Lloyd Wright: His 100 Greatest Works (London: Salamander Books Ltd., 2002), 28.
[2] Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation online, "A Brief Biography," http://www.franklloydwright.org/fllwf_web_091104/Biography.html, (accessed December 15, 2010).
[3] Ibid.
[4] Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation online, "Taliesin," http://www.franklloydwright.org/fllwf_web_091104/taliesin.html, (accessed December 15, 2010).
[5] Alan Hess, "Taliesin North," Frank Lloyd Wright: The Buildings (New York: Rizzoli, 2008), 77.
[6] Marie Clayton, "Introduction," Frank Lloyd Wright: His 100 Greatest Works (London: Salamander Books Ltd., 2002), 32, 34.
[7] Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation online, "A Brief Biography," http://www.franklloydwright.org/fllwf_web_091104/Biography.html, (accessed December 15, 2010).
[8] Marie Clayton, "The Legacy," Frank Lloyd Wright: His 100 Greatest Works (London: Salamander Books Ltd., 2002), 416.
[9] Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation online, "A Brief Biography," http://www.franklloydwright.org/fllwf_web_091104/Biography.html, (accessed December 15, 2010).
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Marie Clayton, "The Usonian House," Frank Lloyd Wright: His 100 Greatest Works (London: Salamander Books Ltd., 2002), 241.
[15] Ibid., 241.
Thank you for this article. It has been years since I visited Taliesin but I still remember being impressed in so many ways. Today I was searching for information on the canvas roof--to see how they replaced it and kept that lovely glow...in case I could replicate it on a screened porch.
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