Even in 2020, Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs and principles are more relevant than ever. The great architect’s genius is on display in Arizona, where he designed a number of buildings inspired by the desert landscape. From residential structures, to performance spaces, to his own winter home and desert laboratory, Wright defined how we continue to build and live in the American Southwest today.

 

“I was struck by the beauty of the desert, by the dry, clear, sun-drenched air, by the stark geometry of the mountains – the entire region was an inspiration,” Wright said of his first visit to the state in 1928. He later settled in 1929 in Chandler, and in 1937 chose the site for what would become his and the Taliesin Fellowship’s winter home in Scottsdale – Taliesin West.

 

Taliesin West, now home to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, is considered one of Wright’s most personal creations and among the purest expressions of his architectural principles. Created from sand and rock from the surrounding environment, Taliesin West seemingly rises from the desert floor at the base of the McDowell Mountains. The site remains an active space and hub for innovation, and welcomes more than 100,000 visitors from around the world each year to experience the architecture, live theater, salons, lectures, concerts, and education programs.

 

While living and working at Taliesin West, Wright experimented and innovated, leaving a lasting legacy of building in harmony with the desert landscape. His Arizona structures include the Harold Price, Sr. House, the David and Gladys Wright House, and First Christian Church, and the Grady Gammage Auditorium, all located in the Valley of the Sun.

 

Taliesin West offers an array of tours and events open to the public to experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. Plan your visit at FrankLloydWright.org.