It didn’t seem right that I had traveled across the U.S. for years and not seen a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in-person. I decided to remedy that by visiting Talesin West in Scottsdale (AZ), a property the famous architect and his wife lived in seasonally for many years.
This development prompted me to get in touch with Moon, who now resided in the Phoenix area— and I asked if she would she be interested in meeting up for an afternoon to see this architectural wonder. She said she would, and we made a firm plan.
Which meant that Mac was in for the surprise of his life.
These photos don’t do his excitement justice– having not seen Moon in about a year, he went absolutely apoplectic when he heard her voice. Leaping up on his back legs, he knocked Moon right to the ground and covered her in kisses. I don’t know if I have ever seen him so excited before (or since). Throughout the afternoon we spent together, he kept turning completely around to gaze at Moon (as if checking to ensure she was truly there).
We took an afternoon tour of the Wright house— only a few are offered each day, and advance tickets are pretty much always needed, though notably, not impossible to get— I snagged mine only a few weeks prior.
Arriving on the grounds, Moon and I observed a number of sculptures throughout the ticketing and waiting area— they were lovely, often adding a burst of color and curvilinear shapes to a rocky and angular set of structures. We didn’t have to wait long for our tour to gather. It was led by an eager retiree who was keen to impart knowledge (the best kind of tour guide).
The guide explained that Frank Lloyd Wright created Talesin West as a compendium to their Talesin home, which was located in Michigan. The couple moved between them during the year as the weather and seasons changed. Giving a broad overview of Wright’s style, the guide explained the 4 main principles employed in his designs– which Wright called “Organic Architecture”— the foremost principle of which was that buildings should blend with their natural surroundings.
Moon and I threw each other a glance— these sounded eerily similar to the principles of the architectural “Modernism” movement, from the architecture tour we had previously completed in Palm Springs. I asked the tour leader if these styles were similar— after all, the building itself looked as if it could be at-home there— and the guide smiled. The principles, he admitted, were extremely similar— but Wright had created his own unique term “Organic Architecture” to helm his school of thinking, nonetheless.
This was only our first indication that Wright was a real arrogant character– of which there was more evidence to-come!
The first section of the house we dipped into (tucking our heads, the doorways were low-slung) was the office area where Lloyd Wright worked and met with clients. The doorway wasn’t the only aspect of this house that felt low-profile— each room would have furnishings (all designed by Wright) that brought the user closer to the very earth. In this room, plans and blueprints would be strewn across the broad table for approval (though, did anyone really approve a Frank Lloyd Wright design this late in his career, or did they just accept it?).
We then walked around the front of the home to see the full impact of the edifice— which met the rock around it in a beautiful and nearly invisible intersection. The lower angles of the long roof protected from the Arizona sun, of course— and the house was angled to receive winter sun (the full affect which we were experiencing in February).
A small pond was out front to help bring some evaporative moisture to the air, a smart design. There were also some rocks with historic petroglyphs scattered about his property– something ancient people probably would not have been thrilled to see. The view wasn’t bad, for being near the heart of Phoenix.
We entered the home through the original front door— which was off-center and not through the expected center inlet. Again, we stooped to enter. You might be wondering what the carvings are near the door— the couple traveled extensively in Asia, and collected these pieces of art with the intent of using them in the space.
Entering the living area, the Wright-designed furniture was again low to the ground— and the guide invited us to sit. The experience of the room, of course, was dictated by Wright’s own hand in creating and placing the furniture exactly how he did. He was apparently so fastidious about furniture placement in his homes that even when visiting those lived in by others, he would surreptitiously move the furniture back to his original placement (against the wishes of the owners).
An example of his chair design is above— simple, elegant and quite comfortable. And speaking to his high opinion of himself: he did have a bronze bust of himself in his own living area.
The living area was comfortable and large, with the seating lining the outside of the room— our seated group gave the impression of a large, convivial gathering. Which was his exact intention. The social aim of a room like this was taken seriously as a part of the design. Light streamed in from two sets of windows— that at a lower and higher level.
Cleverly, the windows above were shaded using canvas, blocking most of the sun out, but filtering enough to let further light into the space.
Interestingly, the home was originally built without glass-panel windows— with the original intent of remaining open to the airflow. Apparently, Mrs. Wright had something to say about that, and windows were installed a few years later. Wright was so irked about this, that he wouldn’t allow the glass to enclose the vases he had placed on windowsills— so the panes were cut to allow for these jars to remain in the same exact places as originally conceived.
The guide pointed out the large stone fireplaces throughout the rooms— heated entirely by these large hearths in the winter, Wright would often have his apprentices light them and tend them. Any amount of charm is possible when one doesn’t have to do the grunt work themselves!
The private bedrooms and his internal working office were much more austere— with panel doors that slid completely open to the light. The shower was downright utilitarian, made entirely of metal and looking a bit like a meat locker.
Wright had a ‘kiva’ on his property— named for and inspired by the sacred rooms certain native tribes included in their vast dwellings (examples we saw at Bandelier National Monument, Mesa Verde, and Chaco Canyon). Again, Moon and I raised our eyebrows at each other— borrowing excellent ideas from a culture was one thing, but appropriating sacred symbols based on misguided feelings of exoticism were another. We chalked this up to Wright being a product of his time, in which exotify-ing other cultures was in-vogue, not frowned upon– but it didn’t exactly give us a great vibe.
The last stop of our tour was an outer building that functioned as a movie room, a theater for stage shows, a piano recital hall, and whatever other gathering the Wrights wanted to host. The space was designed to be nearly acoustically perfect— which the guide demonstrated by standing up front and barely projecting his voice, yet reaching us with ease. Even the chairs and tables and wall sconces within were Wright designs, showing the man to be ever-meticulous.
By the time he lived here, Wright employed a ton of people— but mostly, used apprentices for free labor. The guide also hinted at a fairly grisly murder that happened right onsite at Talesin West, but this was of no particular interest to me (the bookshop definitely contained books on this, if you care to explore it).
The tour of Talesin West was enlightening, and it also showed what a peculiar, particular man Wright was. Exacting, precious, and stubborn— traits that no-doubt helped him excel in his craft, probably made him a nightmare to work for and transact with (and maybe, to be married to?). Now THAT would be a tour I’d love to take— Frank Lloyd Wright according to the women who married him over the course of his life.
But in America, the focus of these tours is on the ‘Great Men’ and their Total Genius, and rarely pays mind to the kind of people they were in the process, or the daily lives they lived.
Time seemed to fly on the tour— as Moon and I were back in a familiar groove— seeing America, taking in information, and also holding a curious-and-examining distance from everything we were told. Then regrouping later to deep-dive into internet rabbit holes to uncover a more well-rounded truth.
In what seemed like a minute, it was time for Moon and I to part ways once more— back to the lives we were building separately. For me, it was back to Tucson to my campsite, and for her— back to a job she loves in Scottsdale (though it’s a place she does not always love).
And for Mac, back into the passenger’s seat of the van— which he inherited from Moon.
Posted by Sun
