Frank Lloyd Wright's way of life is visible throughout Scottsdale and Phoenix. Examples of this influence may be simple experiences guests have while relaxing with the earth elements at the FireSky Resort & Spa (480) 945-7666. Or, they may stay at Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix (602) 955-6600, a building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Wright was instrumental in the American ways of architecture which he described as organic architecture and usonian (named after USA houses). Wright believed, "A building is not just a place to be. It is a way to be," as the Wright Foundation website says. Wright also designed other items like furniture, fabrics, art glass, lamps, dinnerware, silver, linens and graphic arts.
Wright's Home, Taliesin West, Scottsdale, AZ
Taliesin West is still a place students apply to study in the residential community of architecture. Wright started Taliesin West in 1937 as a winter retreat in the McDowell Mountains of Arizona to escape the cold weather in Wisconsin. It was considered daring and different to create homes for desert living during this era.
Visitors do not have to be architect students to enjoy this attraction. Taliesin West is easy to find at 12621 North Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd in Scottsdale. (480) 860-2700 Parking is free and tickets may be purchased in the Gift Shop, where there are also some great architecture books to browse and purchase.
People may choose from a variety of tours. The local guides do an excellent job of capturing the Frank Lloyd Wright story, his architecture, the Wright Foundation, and even stories about the students, who are still active around the grounds. Bring a hat and a bottle of water (water may be purchased in the Gift Shop) along on the tour because there is walking in and out of the desert sun.
Tours at Taliesin West, Scottsdale, AZ
The most popular tour is the 90-minute Insights tour. This tour goes through the same buildings as the Panorama tour with a highlight of seeing the Wright Living Room.
Visitors enter the living room through a Wright style low-ceiling and stone-wall space. The entry way opens into a 56-feet long by 34-feet wide room linked to the garden and bedroom wing by expansive windows. Visitors get to sit in Wright-design furniture and pretend they are guests in his legendary home.
Insight Tours begin every 30 minutes November through April and every hour on the hour May through October. No reservations are needed and tickets are $32 for adults and with typical discounts offered in other age categories.
Other tours:
- 1-Hour Panorama tour - Cost is $24 adults, departs hourly from 10:15 a.m. with last tour at 3:15 p.m. Buildings to see are Cabaret Theater, Music Pavilion, Kiva and Frank Lloyd Wright’s private office
- 3-Hour Behind the Scenes - Mondays, Thursday, and Saturdays 9:15 a.m. and on Wed before Thanksgiving and December 24 at 9:15 a.m. There will be a stop in the colorful Dining Room with a treat to a mid-morning “tea”
- 90 Minute Desert Walk - Daily at 11:15 a.m. (weather permitting) November – April only and may be combined with other tours for discounted admissions
- 2-Hour Desert Shelter Tour - Saturdays (Mid-November through April) 1:15 p.m. Visitors will see where students have built their experiments in the open desert around Taliesin West
- 2-Hour Night Lights on the Desert - Friday evenings in February, March, April and October at 6, 6:30, 7 AND Thursday and Friday Evenings May through September 6:30, 7, 7:30 Tour this architectural jewel during the evening hours – same as the Insights Tour with light refreshments
Other Frank Lloyd Wright Building Attractions
There are over 400 Frank Lloyd Wright buildings across USA to see, 20 of these buildings have over 1 million visitors every year.
Four favorite buildings to see:
- The first Taliesin & Hillside, Spring Green, WI 53588 (877) 588-7900 Tours open May 1–October 31. Public access is managed by Taliesin Preservation, Inc.
- Hanna House, Stanford University CA (650) 725-8352 Wright built this house in 1936 for Stanford University Professor Paul Hanna and his wife, Jean, specialists in childhood education
- Marin County Civic Center (415) 499-3237 Docent led tours every Wed. 10:30 a.m. $5 donation
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s renowned Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,1071 5th Ave., NY 10128. (212) 423-3774
Remember to include the famous attractions on vacation trips like Frank Lloyd Wrights organic architecture designed home, Taliesin West, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Donna West - Donna West is a Writer with an uncanny ability and passion of finding unusual ideas, off the beaten path, even in everyday occurrences.
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