America's Greatest Architect

Today we had a special treat thanks to M's brother, Daniel and wife, Linda, to visit the office/school and western home of America's greatest architect.... Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959).  Some would argue with that description but not Frank.  I'm told when he was called to testify under oath and was asked to give his name and occupation, he described himself by just those words... "America's greatest architect."  (Notice the hammer)

Later when his wife chided him for his arrogance, he responded: "But what could I say, I was under oath!"

Using the materials from the 640 acres of desert land he made his office and a variety of other buildings to house his western location for his home and school (Taliesin West).

Having seen Taliesin East in Wisconsin last October, it was fun to have this special two hour tour of Taliesin West.  It is a very popular tourist stop and we probably wouldn't have forked over the money for the tour, but thanks to Dan and Linda we got to see it.  Dan has been a board member on the foundation for years.

Wanting to address a place for children of the students to play, he put in some grass... one of the few non natural features of the place.  The people who sold him the land thought he was an ignorant Wisconsin man who had just purchased a piece of the desert.  He only paid less than $5 an acre for the land but it had no water.  He dug a well and tapped into an aquifer that they still use to this day.

When the government brought power lines near his view, he contacted every politician including President Roosevelt demanding that they not spoil his view.

Unsuccessful, he was ready to leave but his wife convinced him to stay.  Instead he reoriented the view away from the valley 180 degrees to look on the mountains behind.  His private quarters used to look at the SW view but he put up a wall and trees to hide the power lines.  (Many of the ceilings originally were stretched canvas but now treated to make them last longer.  They let in beautiful filtered light).

These windows reflect the reorientation and look to the mountains and is where the students attending his architectural school have their work places and where the new dining room faces.

Red was his favorite color and this auditorium reflects that.  The story has it that he took one of his payments for a project and bought expensive cars for his students living at Taliesin... all red.  He died at 91 with 100 projects in the works including the Guggenheim Museum in NYC which he never saw completed.

Needless to say the grounds are full of art work and beauty in the Arizona dessert.

Our final stop was a room mostly underground with phenomenal acoustics used for piano and other concerts for him, the students and guests.  You can still enroll in his school and if accepted it will cost you 30 grand a year... but meals and working in the kitchen are part of it and living in a tent for part of the time. 

While waiting in the bookstore for our tour, M recognized a lady from GF.  Actually she lives directly behind our home and grew up in Iowa near my brother's home.  Small world.  This seeming mess was a reminder of another architect who used pieces from the natural world too to build something in a very hostile environment... a cactus.  

Imagine going in and out of this nest and raising your brood in that prickly spot.

This architect didn't mind the power lines but kept on singing her lungs out in spite of them.

The little architect who chose to build on the grounds of "America's greatest architect," is a cactus wren.

For the life of me I could see no bleeding or protruding stickers on this architect and seemed to be not the least bit arrogant.

He was much more humble than Frank.  When I approached to get a closer look...