Petroglyphs / Taliesin West

In 1937, with his fee for building Falling Water for Edgar Kaufman Sr.in hand, Frank Lloyd Wright 

purchased 620 acres of land in Scottsdale, Arizona. Taliesin West will be his winter home, studio and campus for

the school of architecture until his death in 1959. Built on principles of organic architecture, there is a symbiotic link between 

the site plan, materials, building design and the natural desert environment. This includes the Hohokam petroglyph 

boulders Wright incorporated into the landscape of the site.  

Wright liked one of the petroglyphs so much that he began using it as his logo... 

Taliesin gate

Wright's office. This is where he designed the Guggenheim Museum.

The other side of the office.

The living room

1946 photo of the interior, complete with a couple of Ralph Rapson chairs.

This is one of the places photography isn't allowed in on the tour. It's too bad because it's probably the coolest room.   

FYI; The Rapson chairs aren't there anymore.

Door to the Kiva room.

That's Tom the tour guide in the performing arts theater, the last building constructed on the site before Wight passed away.

Tom carried a big wooden stick with a cactus carved into it. He ran a tight ship. 

This is in the performing arts theater. 

It looks like it's for puppets??

Entrance into the cabaret theater. This head was Wight's good luck charm.

He carried it with him in his car rides from Taliesen in Wisconsin to Taliesin West.

Cabaret theater walkway

As you can see, concrete with rocks from the surrounding area is the primary construction materials throughout Taliesin.

There was a certain Taliesin student who was booted out of the program who picked up on that technique.

See The Dome House