NOTHING — IF TALIESEN WEST IS ANY INDICATION. Connie found this Frank Lloyd Wright designed complex without any help from Paul. In fact, Mr. Wright’s buildings are on our bucket list for 2018, and Taliesen seemed like the ideal starting point.
Architecture blending with Nature
FLW and his merry band of apprentices would move shop from wintery Wisconsin’s Taliesen East to their “camp” in the hills outside of Scottsdale every winter. Each year would see improvements and additions to what would become known as Taliesen West, a self-contained community of artists, architects and other interesting people on the “taliesen,” or brow of the hill. Taliesen is Welsh for “shining brow.”
Bruce, the perfect guide
Wright believed that buildings should blend in with nature. They should be of the same materials as their surroundings and a house on the hilltop would stand out, not blend in. When rural electrification brought in the power lines that ruined his view, he fought it all the way to Harry Truman. Then he changed the entranceway to the house to avoid the sight and refused until 1954 to be connected to the grid.
Architecture and Furniture, Inside and Outside
Frank Lloyd Wright is known for his architecture, but he also designed furniture. Our guide, Bruce, also explained Wright’s theory of spaces — Compression-Progression-Release — with cramped low ceilinged entryways leading through twisting narrow corridors to cavernous rooms, seemingly part of the outdoors.
Compression, Procession, and Releas
Some of the planning — and most of the work — was done by apprentices, many who have gone on to become famous in their own Wright (Ha, ha!) and five of the eldest still reside on the grounds of Taliesen West. Tuition, $600 annually in the 30s and 40s, has risen to $42,000 but has not deterred the two dozen or so currently studying. And it’s worth noting, there have been women apprentices since the first class.
Natural rock fireplaces
Don’t let the $25 charge put you off. And if you plan on visiting other FLW sites around the country, sixty bucks will get you an annual membership for two. Almost as good as the National Parks geezer pass.
