Taliesin West By Wright Essay, Research Paper

Do you have a living room in your house? A carport? Does your house have an

"open" floor plan? If so, then the way you live is being directly

influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright’s innovations in residential architecture (Copplestone

1). Frank Lloyd Wright was born in 1867 in southwestern Wisconsin of talented

and dynamic parents; his father a preacher and musician, his mother a teacher.

From his father, Wright learned how the order and structure of music had

influenced his perception of architectural form. From his mother, he acquired a

strong respect for learning (Copplestone 8). Wright spent his boyhood summers on

the farms of his Welsh uncles where he learned to appreciate the values of

nature and disciplined hard work. He left his formal schooling at the University

of Wisconsin to go to Chicago and in 1887 became an apprentice to the greatest

American architect of that time, Louis Sullivan (Nash 4). In 1893 Wright opened

his own practice in Oak Park, Illinois. A distinctive new architecture, which he

called ?Organic?, emerged and by 1910 his accomplishments had gained

worldwide recognition. There are six chief points to organic architecture. Some

of the points include the spiritual integrity of the building, expression the

builder?s individuality, incorporation in the design elements and the colors

of the site are drawn from nature. Taliesin West is an example of all those

characteristics (Nash 34-37). In 1911 Wright left Oak Park and began the

construction of the first Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. The original

Taliesin was built for himself, his family, his architectural practice and later

the Taliesin Fellowship (Wright 6). I learned that about a decade after the

original Taliesin was bulit, Wright?s doctor instructed him that he should

escape the cold and damp Wisconsin winters due to his health. Wright first

visited Arizona in 1927 when he was asked to consult on designs for the Arizona

Biltmore. In the years following that visit, Wright and some of his apprentices

spent time at temporary sites in Arizona including a desert camp they

constructed near Chandler in 1929, which Wright named ?Ocatilla.? (Boulton

6) Finally, by 1937, Wright decided he wanted a more permanent winter residence

and acquired several hundred acres of raw, rugged desert at the foothills of the

McDowell Mountains near Scottsdale, Arizona. Wright literally created Taliesin

West "out of the desert." He and his apprentices gathered rocks from

the desert floor and sand from the washes to build this great desert masterpiece

(Smith 23). In my research, almost everything was in chronological order and

very accurate. There were no disagreements and I trusted all the information

that I read and was given. There is only one speculation that I found to be

different and it was the date of the completion of Taliesin West. In several

books I read that Wright completed Taliesin in 1938 and other sources led me to

believe that I was completed in 1940. I do not think that authors have a reason

to misinform people of the date. I do not think it changes anything. When I

asked why Wright chose that exact location in Scottsdale for Taliesin West,

Beverly Hart, the public access manager told me that ?selecting a good site

was one of Wright?s priorities for architecture.? She told me that ?when

he set out to design and build the institution, his goal was to integrate the

structures with the ?Nature? of the desert, its soul, and its physical

characteristics.? (Hart 3) In a way, choosing the site for Taliesin West is

very contrary to what ordinarily happens in most situations. Most architects

want to build in populated areas, so the city builds outward. Wright enjoyed

open space; he liked to go where there was no one around. He didn?t want

anything to spoil his view by modern conveniences. He created his home, studio

and working enviornment in the middle of the desert. With nothing but the most

basic materials ? desert stone, redwood, and canvas, Wright was able to create

a small community of buildings. It is entered by crossing a graveled courtyard

with views of a vine-covered pergola and colorful sculptures. Shallow steps lead

to the sunset terrace with a 240-degree panoramic vista of distant mountains and

the surrounding desert landscape ( Smith 67 ). Taliesin is not a museum; but

rather a living, working, educational facility as well as the national

headquarters for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation ( Lind 45). It is also based

on the life of Taliesin Fellowship. It is the name of the school Wright and his

wife created in October of 1932. Wright later moved the school to Arizona for

convenience. According to Wright and his wife, the Fellowship and the building

of Taliesin West was established to provide a total learning environment,

integrating all aspects of the apprentices? lives in order to produce

responsible, creative and cultured human beings. It also provided an opportunity

for them to ?learn by doing? and experience first hand the philosophy of

?organic architecture.? (Wright 2) The most interesting information that I

learned was about what Taliesin means. Taliesin was the name of a Welsh Poet, a

druid-bard who sang to Wales the glories of fine art. Literally, the Welsh word

means ?shining brow? the nationality of Wright?s ancestors. Taliesin in

Wisconsin sits on the ?brow? of a hill overlooking the valley below, while

Taliesin West is located on a broad mesa (Wright 8). Mrs. Hart told me that

Taliesin West has been remodeled since Frank Lloyd Wright built it in 1940. ?A

major alteration was the addition of a larger playhouse, called the

Cabaret-Theater, built in the winters of 1950 and 1951,? she stated. The new

theater was the location of the weekend?s relaxation. Dinners were held with

music and a movie following. Wright initially planned Taliesin West as a winter

"camp" for the Fellowship; building it of wood, desert masonry, and

canvas. The addition of air conditioning made longer stays possible, and

Taliesin West quickly became an autumn, winter, and spring residence. The canvas

roofs were rearranged, rebuilt, and eventually replaced with various synthetic

materials that were more durable. Glass, not allowed in the early plans, was

added and made more permanent (Nash 63-65). I do not think the adjustment had a

negative effect on the structure. It would be impossible for people to work

without the air conditioning. The heat and water would ruin the apprentices?

work. It was remodeled to keep everything running the way Wright would have

liked it. Mrs. Hart approves of the uses to which Taliesin West has been put.

?It?s a learning environment for everyone that visits,? she stated. ?It

is a National Historic Landmark. Apprentices learn organic architecture through

participation in design studio, construction, group activities and community

living.? (Hart 3) While I was there I learned a great deal. People are

extremely friendly, I don?t think I would have them change the way Taliesin is

operated. If I were to choose a hero in the history I examined, Frank Lloyd

Wright would be the hero. I think this because he had such an impact upon young

architects and building design. He had a brilliant mind to create such amazing

pieces of art. I asked Beverly if she knew what kind of person Frank Lloyd

Wright was. I was astonished to hear that he was one of the most arrogant

individuals in American cultural history. He was very egotistical and thought of

himself as the greatest architect of all time (Hart 3) The reputation of Frank

Lloyd Wright and his very creative form of architecture has generated much

interest in his concepts, especially in Taliesin West. It was his latest work

and showed his attention to detail. Even though this masterpiece was completed

almost 60sixty years ago, it remains a favorite destination of knowledgeable

people interested in architecture from all around the globe.