taliesin west

taliesin west, originally uploaded by shawnwall.

"Designed 1937-59

In late 1937 Wright purchased land in northeast Scottsdale, Arizona, where he and his young apprentices took on the task of building Taliesin West as a winter "camp." The complex of buildings included residential spaces, theaters, a shop, and an architectural studio and drafting room.

From its inception, the buildings at Taliesin West astounded architectural critics with their beauty and unusual form. In it 1956 report Architectural Record called a visit to Taliesin West "an experience in color, light, and time . . . Most of all, the building is an experience in time: approach terraces, the steps, the long walk under the pergola, the penetration into the heart of the building itself: all these form a subtle sequence of varied spaces, scales, and shapes . . .Perhaps never since the baroque period has the element of time been used so skillfully in realizing the enchantment of an intricate work of art."

Wright continued to add buildings and make changes to the site for twenty years. Taliesin West served as Wright's winter home, architectural studio, and campus for the Taliesin Fellowship."

by shawnwall