Taliesin West

by Robert Palmer, Weston Favell, Northampton, England

The construction of Taliesin West, begun by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1937, was designed by Wright and built over many years by apprentices who were a part of the resident Taliesin Fellowship.  Taliesin West is the main campus of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.  The buildings rest on 500 acres of preserved Sonora Desert open space on the South foothills of the McDowell Mountains with spectacular views of Scottsdale, Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun.

The buildings at Taliesin West include drafting studios, which provide workspaces for students and faculty, classrooms, study rooms, the William Wesley Peters Library, and exhibition spaces.  Two theaters provide space for theatrical performances, concerts, music and dance rehearsals, as well as space for videos, films, visiting lecturers, special events, and formal dining.  Workspace and equipment are available for woodwork, metal work, painting, printing, photography, sculpture, pottery, and model making.

(Reminder)  The building is a masterpiece of the Prairie style, and it is renowned as a forerunner of modernism in architecture.  

Prairie Style
The term describes designs by Frank Lloyd Wright and other architects around the beginning of the 20th century.  Prairie Style has a truly American look, without European influences.  It is inspired by the environment.
Characteristics include:
      open floor plan
      low, horizontal design that reflects the Midwestern prairie
      geometric forms
      windows grouped in a series—or band—known as ribbon windows
      limited exterior materials (wood, stone, brick, stucco), usually only one or two
      integrated furniture, often built-in
      colors taken from the palette of Nature

 

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