Taliesin West

Taliesin West was renowned architect Frank Llloyd Wright's winter home and architectural school from 1937 until his death in 1959. It is now the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and additionally houses the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Taliesin West is open for public, private and special group tours. Typically the public tours run from 9am to 4pm on most days except Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. A variety of public tours range in length from 1 to 3 hours long and concentrate on different areas or topics. Summer tour selection and times are different due to the intense desert heat so please visit the official website of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Taliesin is often high on the list of of newcomers and visitors to Fountain Hills as it is located on the other side of the McDowell Mountains about 20 minutes from Fountain Hills. Many consider Frank Lloyd Wright's main contribution that of 'organic architecture' which promotes harmony between human dwellings and the natural environment they are located in. As with many of Wrights's other famous designs, Taliesin structures are use native local materials as much as possible and are colored and shaped to 'fit in' with the local scenery rather than overpower it. It seems that over time architecture and landscaping in the Phoenix area is adopting this ethic as xeriscaping and desert colors and finishes on structures are favored more.

Although most people choose the one hour "Panorama Tour" for their first taste of Taliesin, one of the more interesting tours is the 2-Hour "Desert Shelter Tour." Rather than just teaching the theory and machanics of architecture, Frank Llloyd Wright believed in students of his school acquiring hands-on experience by designing, building and then inhabitating their own structures in the desert surrounding Taliesin. The tour involves the students giving you personal visits to their shelters which range from basic tent-like to dramatic domiciles perched at the edge of desert washes.

Related Links:

• The Official Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation site.
• Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Brochure PDF with tour info.
• Google Map to Taliesin.