Exploring the Works of Frank Lloyd Wright

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2010-11-21T17:40:00.010-05:00

"To Europeans these buildings on paper seem uninhabitable; but they derive height and air by quite other means, and respect an ancient tradition, the only one here worthy of respect -- the prairie."

Frank Lloyd Wright
Studies and Executed Buildings ("Wasmuth folios")
(View more Quotations)

Index of Buildings

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I started this site in 1998 to journal my visits to buildings designed by the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. In addition to posting my own entries I am posting journal entries with photographs by other interested Wright enthusiasts. If you have original photographs of one or more Frank Lloyd Wright buildings and would like to see your photographs and notes posted on the web just leave a comment on this page and I will contact you. All postings will be fully credited and the copyright will remain with the contributor.

David Sides

Isabel Martin Residence (Graycliff)

2006-10-25T00:49:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, the timing of my transit on a business trip did not allow me to take the tour of Graycliff, but the docent in the gift shop was kind and allowed me to step out and take a quick photograph of the buildings. The restoration is in progress as you'll see. Visit the official web site for Graycliff and definitely take the tour if you're in the area. (About 40 minutes from Buffalo.) You may want to check out the Darwin Martin Complex while you're in Buffalo.

The visitor's center and gift shop used to be the gymnasium.

Walter V. Davidson Residence

2006-10-25T00:41:00.004-04:00

This is a private residence not far from the Darwin Martin Complex. Note the tree damage from a early heavy snow storm about a week earlier.

William R. Heath Residence

2006-10-25T00:29:00.002-04:00

This prairie style house was built not long after the Darwin Martin Complex and is privately owned. Buffalo had a major early snow storm about a week earlier so you'll see some tree damage in some of the photos.

Unique art glass common in FLLW's prairie houses.

Darwin D. Martin Complex

2006-10-25T00:09:00.003-04:00

While in transit to Erie, Pennsylvania on a business trip I was able to take an afternoon in Buffalo to tour the Darwin Martin Complex and visit some other Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the area. You can learn more about the Darwin Martin Complex at the official web site.

The Darwin Martin Complex consists of four buildings in addition to the George Barton Residence. The Martin house is being restored and the Pergola, Conservatory, and Carriage House/Stable are being rebuilt as they had been demolished. As Sandy, our tour guide noted, these are the only Frank Lloyd Wright buildings that have been rebuilt (vs. being restored.) The total effort is costing $35 million!

The following photograph shows the "martin houses" on top of the Conservatory. A taste of Wright's sense of humor.

The front door is hidden between the two left urns.

In the next photograph, notice the gutters that follow the prarie style horizontal line. There are no downspouts, but instead there are catch basins on the ground. You can also see some of the art glass windows.

The next photograph is of a decal in a window to indicate what will be there eventually as the building is restored. There are examples inside the building where this is done (wallpaper) including the glass mosaic around the hearth. This will be a magnificant building to tour when it is completed, but it is fascinating to see the restoration process underway too.

This is an art glass window ("tree of life" pattern) on the upper story.

Compare the urns in the following photograph with the nearby William Heath Residence.

Wanted a place to slip this in: Buffalo viewed from the south shore of Lake Erie.

George Barton Residence

2006-10-25T00:00:00.002-04:00

This building is part of the Darwin Martin Complex, but since it is listed separately in Storrer's book I list it separately here. Our tour guide, Sandy, said that the house was built before the Martin house as something of a test for Frank Lloyd Wright by Darwin Martin. The house was built on time, but significantly over budget. Fortunately for both Wright and Martin, they had developed a friendship, so the budget was not the obstacle that it might have been otherwise. Frank Lloyd Wright was not noted for maintaining a budget, either for his clients or for himself.

This is the back of the house. As you'll see throughout all of the photos this is a site under construction. There were about a dozen workers on site during the tour.

The Darwin Martin Complex is the source of some of the best known Frank Lloyd Wright window patterns.

The following photograph shows how the Barton House is positioned relative to the Martin House.

Joseph Euchtman Residence

2005-09-27T19:56:00.004-04:00

On a business trip to Baltimore I stopped by to snap a few pictures of this 2-bedroom Usonian house. The lot has an unusual wedge shape and Wright used it to provide a high degree of privacy. Not much was visible from the street. You can see the siding has been painted.

Bartlesville Community Center

2004-12-14T21:36:00.001-05:00

The Bartlesville Community Center was designed by Wesley Peters, a Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice. The building is located across the street from the Price Tower.

A series of photographs walking around the building.

A view of the Price Tower from the Bartlesville Community Center.
No, the tower is not leaning, but I evidently was by the end of this long travel day!

Harold Price, Jr. Residence

2004-12-14T21:34:00.000-05:00

I debated about making an entry for this building at the website since I was not able to obtain any photographs of it on my trip to Bartlesville. The address is not listed in The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion and the personnel at the Price Tower told me that there was no view of the building available to the public. I cruised the street that it is supposedly located on, but was not able to find the house. There are evidently tours or events hosted there occasionally, so if you've attended one and have any photographs you'd like to share please let me know.

Price Tower

2004-12-14T21:29:00.000-05:00

Unlike many Wright buildings that I've enjoyed searching out over the years, the Price Tower stands out in the landscape and is easy to find. It ranks high on my list of favorite Wright buildings next toFallingwater, Taliesin East and Taliesin West.

I may write more later, but I wanted to get the photographs posted.

See the official website for the Price Tower for additional information.

There is a book available on the Price Tower: Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan and the Skyscraper

Bartlesville Community Center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's apprentice Wesley Peters, is across the steet from the Price Tower.

See below for information about Bruce Goff, a well known organic-style architect with several buildings in Bartlesville and elsewhere.

All photographs were taken in the late afternoon.

The view from across the street with the sun in the background.

The entryway to the building. It houses a museum as well as a hotel.

Looking up the building. The fire escape is on the left side of the photograph.

The antenna on top of the building.

Some details as viewed from the ground.

The supports for the parking carport in front of the building.
These reminded me of the supports that I saw at Florida Southern College.

This is the view from the Bartlesville Community Center.

The Walt Whitman inscription inside the building.

Bruce Goff

The Price Tower has the Shin'En Kan Gate by Bruce Goff on display.

There is more information about the exhibit at the Price Tower website page

If you'd like to learn more about Bruce Goff the following links may be useful:

A Film of Bruce Goff Buildings
Bruce Goff at greatbuildings.com
Article at Architecture Week
Friends of Kebyar
Bruce Goff Castle (Bed and Breakfast in Southern Illinois)

There is a booklet available (~ $18) from the Price Tower Arts Center Free Thought: The Art and Architecture of Bruce Goff that includes a listing and map of Bruce Goff designed homes in the Bartlesville area. If you happen to be touring and take photographs I would welcome the chance to start a Bruce Goff gallery.

Richard Lloyd Jones Residence

2004-12-14T21:25:00.001-05:00

On a business trip to Oklahoma City I was able to swing by Tulsa to take some pictures of the Richard Lloyd Jones house. I may write more later, but wanted to get the photographs posted.

A view of the house from the corner of the block.

Turning right.....

A closer look at the gates, using a chevron pattern similar to those seen in his art glass windows.

The entryway.

A closer look at a light by the entryway.

Another view of the house. The entryway is off to the right of the photograph.

Washington Square

2004-01-15T23:47:00.001-05:00

Although these are not officially Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, they were designed by Taliesin Architects using a Frank Lloyd Wright design. Since the site is only about an hour away from my home I had taken a picture of the construction site back in August of 2000. When Terence Braver contacted me in January of 2004 with a photograph of the finished construction I was inspired to post a before and after.

The construction site in August of 2000....

And now in January of 2004....

Ennis-Brown House

2003-10-24T19:09:00.007-04:00

On a business trip to Los Angeles I found myself with a couple of extra hours to find a couple of the more famous Wright buildings in California. Unfortunately my timing was not great because there were no tours offered at the time I visited the Ennis-Brown House, but I was able to walk around the outside and take pictures. The house has some wonderful art glass so I'll have to time my visit better next time. Be sure to check out the website for the house if you're planning a visit.

The terrible fires were just starting about this time. It was extremely hazy with the smoke and I was lucky to get out of LAX when I did because they cancelled some flights the next day due to low visibility.

This is a view of the Ennis-Brown house using a 300mm telephoto lens
from the site of the Hollyhock House.

You can see the patterns in the concrete blocks here.

The house is located on a hill. The gate to the driveway is to the right of this picture.
Evidently when the house is open for tours you can park on the property.

It's a pretty steep hill....

Notice some of the damaged blocks. The exterior of the house needs repair.

And you can see some scaffolding in place. It reminded me of the time
I toured Fallingwater when it had supporting beams in place.

Some of the art glass windows. Something to look forward to on the tour....

Notice the typical Frank Lloyd Wright seamless corner windows.

The main gate entry to the parking area.

The main entryway as photographed from just outside the gate.

Note the damaged walls on the left side of the photograph.

The view from the house is no doubt better, but this shows
the haze from the smoke in the air.

Aline Barnsdall Hollyhock House

2003-10-24T18:58:00.005-04:00

On a business trip I found a couple of hours to visit two of the more famous Frank Lloyd Wright designed buildings in the Los Angeles area. I first visited the Ennis-Brown House and then stumbled upon the Hollyhock House. It's on a small hill that stands above a commercial district. Evidently the entire block was owned by the Barnsdall's at one point, but much of the block is commercial now. The house itself was fenced off, but I received a very complete tour from the docent, Peter Reidy. I'd previously seen Peter's name in the "Wright Chat" section of the FLW Building Conservancy website so it was nice to meet him in person.

This is the traditional view of the house. Note the ornamented concrete.

A closer view and also a view of the art glass from the outside.

The back of the house. Although the house reminds me of Unity Temple,
it also has a prairie house feel here.

Again, some of the art glass in the house from the outside.

A close-up of some concrete work.

The Art Gallery on the site is not a Wright building,

but it was designed in the Wright style. That's my reflection on the door.

The entryway is extensive. The covered walkway felt somewhat like
the covered walkways at Florida Southern College

I thought the horizontal slats here were unlike
any other pattern of Wright's that I have seen.

Mr. Reidy said that the stairs on the guest house were added to meet the fire code.

The view from the hill. Note the FLW style lamp.
I don't know if the lamps are original, but I am guessing they were added later.

A view of the Ennis-Brown house using a telephoto lens.

The observatory on the hill overlooking the Hollyhock House area.
I drove up the hill to try to get a view, but unfortunately the observatory site was closed.
It was very hazy from the brush fires in the area anyway so I might not have seen much.

John Clarence Pew Residence

2002-07-01T01:06:00.000-04:00

Visited July, 2002 by Jon Booker

This little house is really a gem, the whole thing is paneled in cypress, including the ceiling and floor (except for the kitchen floor). I was able to take some photos when I was invited inside by the owner. I had been outside on the street taking some video of the exterior when the lady of the house drove into the driveway. My dad and I had been travelling around Wisconsin taking a look at all of the Wright houses we could find. Be aware that the photos are captured from video (although they look quite good to me).

Visited August 14, 2000 by David Sides

The owner did not make an appearance when we were visiting the area in the summer of 2000. You do get a feel for the relatively private location of the house. (Thank you Jon for sharing the interior photos above!)

My father took this picture and it gives a sense of proportion.

Beth Sholom Synagogue

2002-01-10T00:21:00.001-05:00

Although I have lived in the Philadelphia area for more than eight years I had only had the opportunity to see the outside of the building until a business trip took me to the west side of Philadelphia on a weekday. At the time I visited, tours were offered at 10 am and 2 pm. Make sure you call ahead if you are planning a visit. You can find more information at the the Beth Sholom website. These are the exterior photographs that were taken on another day when it was sunny. Don't miss the interior photographs

The book: Together They Built A Mountain describes the history of the building.

There is a handout that I received before the tour that explains the extensive symbolism that is present in the design of the temple. The building is an abstract image of a mountain — Mount Sinai.

The first photograph is the building seen from the left front.Clicking on most images on this page will display an enlarged photograph.

The next photograph is the right front.

This is the view of the back of the building from the left side.

And the view of the back from the right parking lot.

The annex building is to the left in this photograph.

A closer view of the front entry. There is a photograph from the interior looking out on the interior photographs page.

Looking up the edge of the building.

By the front entry.

And the Frank Lloyd Wright tile.

As I entered the main space of the temple I was again struck by how Frank Lloyd Wright rooms feel different from others. Personally I feel calmed and serene in his spaces — much like being in a forest. He would probably like that given his fondness of Nature. His mastery of space is something that should be experienced first hand. Photographs rarely do his rooms justice.

These are the interior photographs taken on January 10, 2002, which unfortunately was a cloudy day.

The exterior photographs were taken on a different (sunny) day.

The first photograph is entry to the main space after entering the front door of the temple.

Clicking on the images on this page will display an enlarged photograph.

This is the entryway to the Sisterhood Sanctuary below.
The tour does not include this room and it was closed.

This is looking back out the front door.
Notice the mitered glass without a frame — a common Wright technique.

This is the view as you enter the main space.
The walkway up from the front door compresses the space
and then it lets out into the main temple.

This is a closer view of the Ark at the center.

This is the view from the left side of the main space.
Notice the pattern on the concrete above. The pattern reminded me of the
pattern in the concrete at the Florida Southern College campus.

This is the Chandelier. It has lights that were not on at the time of the tour.
The colors have meaning (from the tour handout):
Blue for Wisdom
Green for Insight and Understanding
Yellow or Gold is for Courage and Justice
Cream White is for Mercy and Loving-Kindness

The next photograph is a view from the left side of the Ark looking out towards the front entry.

And this is looking up.

Overall an impressive Wright building. The outside alone is just interesting, but the inside really makes it special. Perhaps that is part of the message.

Designing with Light II (Symposium)

2001-06-04T01:06:00.001-04:00

I was fortunate to attend a two-day symposium associated with the exhibit of Frank Lloyd Wright "light screens" in New York City on Monday and Tuesday, June 4th and 5th, 2001. The exhibit was hosted by the American Craft Museum and the symposium was hosted by Christie's. The exhibit was sponsored bySteelcase Inc. and the symposium was sponsored by HunterDouglas. You can find out more about the exhibit schedule and where it will be touring at flwlightscreens.com. I highly recommend seeing the exhibit since it may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see so many of his light screens together.

The American Craft Museum is located on 53rd near 6th Avenue....

Having never been to Christie's, it was an eye-opening experience for me. The catalogs of artworks previously auctioned and planned for future auctions was fascinating. It's an entirely different world from my everyday existence. The concept of spending $80,000+ on a Tiffany lamp is something to ponder..... this is what Christie's looks like from the outside.</P>

An auction room was converted to a presentation room during the symposium.

Mr. Bruce Pfeiffer

The symposium featured several speakers including two Frank Lloyd Wright apprentices: Edgar Tafel and Bruce Pfeiffer. Mr. Pfeiffer is also the Director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives and Vice-President of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation located at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona. I had the good fortune to meet a third FLW apprentice, Mr. Mansinh Rana, who was present when Mr. Tafel spoke on Monday. It was a pleasure hearing both Mr. Tafel and Mr. Pfeiffer speak about their experiences with Mr. Wright, and Mr. Tafel and Mr. Rana confirmed Mr. Wright's story about telling apprentices not to "spit in his coffee" when Mr. Wright thought that an apprentice might be imitating him too closely. You can read about this particular story in Edgar Tafel's book: Years with Frank Lloyd Wright, Apprentice to Genius (pg. 169 in my reprint edition).

The curator of the exhibit, Ms. Julie Sloan, spoke on Tuesday. She has published two books in conjunction with the exhibit. The first, Light Screens: The Leaded Glass of Frank Lloyd Wright is more modestly priced. The second, Light Screens: The Complete Leaded-Glass Windows of Frank Lloyd Wright is a beautiful book for the serious enthusiast (it's on my Christmas list; :-) Ms. Sloan clearly knew her subject well. On Monday she was also present for the presentation by Mr. Tom Venturella, an expert in the restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright art glass. His hands-on presentation was interesting and confirmed much of what I had experienced from my own efforts working with stained glass. The description of the electroplating techniques used with the windows was especially interesting.

Ms. Julie Sloan

Ms. Julia Meech, curator of the exhibition Frank Lloyd Wright and the Art of Japan: The Architect's other Passion currently on display at the Japan Society in New York City, spoke on Tuesday. Hearing her speak about his dealings with Japanese prints and his importance as a player in that market has given me an interest in studying more about it. I knew that Frank Lloyd Wright was influenced by his interest in Japanese and oriental art, but I had not realized that it played such an important role in his finances and that he influenced the Japanese print market so greatly when he was an active trader.

Although the symposium had much to offer the Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiast, it also had several presentations by talented glass artists of today and also by experts in the use of lighting in buildings and interiors.

Mr. Ed Carpenter, a well-known artist specializing in large-scale public glass sculptures spoke on the first day. You can find references to his works by searching at Google for "Ed Carpenter glass" and his website is at www.edcarpenter.net.

Ms. Nancy Gong, an active practicing glass artist also spoke. I'm looking forward to hearing more about her work and you can visit her website.

Ms. Victoria Meyers, a practicing architect in New York and instructor at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, spoke on the use of light in architecture. I found her thoughts about how Frank Lloyd Wright's later buildings grew the concepts present in his earlier light screens to encompass the entire building interesting.

Ms. Kim Kiner, a Product Designer with Hunter Douglas had a challenging task to present thoughts on window treatments to the group. Frank Lloyd Wright did not believe in curtains and in fact his light screens were an attempt to control the light and frame the view. As one of the speakers put it "he was a bit of a control freak", which is a fair statement considering what I've read about his desire to design everything, even in some cases the clothes worn by a client. Ms. Kiner presented some interesting material concerning the qualities and characteristics of light depending on the direction and time of day. This part of the discussion reminded me of some of my recent Feng Shui reading.

Mr. Steven Weintraub, an independent consultant specializing in Museum Environment and Objects Conservation spoke about the lighting design in museums and how they are often not as well designed as you would think they should be for the presentation and preservation of art. He presented some interesting examples of well-designed and poorly-designed lighting in museums around the world.

Mr. Frank Quadflieg, the Creative Director for Andersen Windows, spoke concerning upcoming trends in window designs and products. By the way, Andersen offers a line of windows based on Frank Lloyd Wright window designs.

Mr. Craig Miller, curator of Architecture, Design and Graphics at the Denver Art Museum, and formerly with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC where he was the curator for the installation of the Frank Lloyd Wright Room there, spoke about two of Wright's largest buildings. Alas, neither exists today, but I found his discussions of Midway Gardens and the Imperial Hotel fascinating.

Overall a very enjoyable two days although I'm grateful that I don't have to commute into New York City often!

Burton J. Westcott Residence

2001-04-15T21:13:00.000-04:00

The Westcott house was built in 1904 or 1907. Although Storrer lists 1904, he also mentions sources for 1907 and according to Matt Cline, who is working on the restoration project, they have found recent evidence to confirm that the house was built in 1907.

The house viewed from Greenmount Cemetery.
Photograph copyright © 2000 by the
Westcott House Foundation

I've not had the pleasure of visiting the building site in person yet, but wanted to post a photograph and encourage you to visit the official website and contact Matt Cline if you would like further information or would like to contribute to the restoration effort.

The house has two large concrete urns that reminded me of the urns found at the Imperial Hotel.

One of two urns located at the Westcott House.
Photograph copyright © 2000 by the
Westcott House Foundation.

If you have access to the Wasmuth folios (or more likely a reproduction :-) you will find the floorplan for this house on plate LIII. The Wasmuth folios reproduction Studies and Executed Buildings is currently in print (May 2001).

Taliesin West

2001-01-01T15:40:00.004-05:00

These are some photographs that my brother, Darien, sent me from a recent trip he made to Taliesin West in January of 2001. Among some of the tidbits he picked up: the roof was originally made of canvas; there were no windows until Mrs. Wright got tired of that situation; when an apprentice first joins the Taliesin Fellowship s/he often builds and then lives in a tent of his/her own making for several months.

Taliesin West is well covered in a number of books including Frank Lloyd Wright The Masterworks. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Archives are located at Taliesin West, so it's definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. I look forward to visiting there myself!

You can visit the official site for Taliesin West at: www.franklloydwright.org.

Taliesin West is built with materials native to the area including rocks embedded in concrete.

The structure is designed to resemble the surrounding mountains. You get a sense of that in this profile shot below.

Part of the Music Pavilion....

James B. Christie Residence

2000-12-10T23:31:00.002-05:00

On the way to Tarrytown (NY) to help my sister-in-law move, I detoured to view the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in New Jersey that I had not seen yet. Unfortunately, the house is not visible from the street. The owner graciously permitted me to use photographs that I took from his driveway. The house appears to be well kept. Storrer has several negative comments about the quality of the original construction and orientation of the house, but I tend not to be critical of any existing FLW house since there are far fewer than I would like! (Especially in NJ :-)

Notice that the brickwork does not have the usual horizontal emphasis.

The clerestory windows (high windows used for indirect lighting) are
plain glass and do not have a pattern.

You can see this is a heavily wooded lot.

The owner says that this detached building (Storrer calls it a shop) is not a FLW building.

Conrad Edward and Evelyn Gordon Residence

2000-12-01T00:03:00.002-05:00

The photos on this page were taken when the house was at its original site. More details about the move can be found at the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy.

My sister Kris, who lives in Oregon, gave me a wonderful Christmas present this year! She and her cousin Scott hunted up the Gordon residence that has been the center of a recent effort of the Wright conservancy movement. My apologies to those with slower Internet connections, but the ten photographs on this page will give you a feel for the current state of the house (as of 12/2000).

Here then are the pictures of the house from various angles. The house exterior with the white brick and dark wood reminded me of the Gloria Bachman and Abraham Wilson Residence in New Jersey. Thanks for the great gift Kris and Scott!

Taliesin East

2000-08-15T01:18:00.000-04:00

This hill on which Taliesin now stands as "brow" was one of my favorite places when as a boy looking for pasque flowers I went there in March sun while snow still streaked the hillsides.

Frank Lloyd Wright, An Autobiography

I had the pleasure of visiting Taliesin with my father on our "Frank Lloyd Wright tour" of Madison, Wisconsin and the surrounding area. This was a birthday present for both of us and it was an excellent trip with Taliesin being the high point (well, excluding the dinner at Denny's....)

Frank Lloyd Wright's eastern estate is located about an hour's drive Northwest of Madison. There is a western estate located in Scottsdale, Arizona so this Taliesin is referred to as Taliesin East. The estate is maintained by the Taliesin Preservation Commission and I would like to thank the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation for permission to post photographs of the buildings. Alas, photographs of the interior are not permitted so you have an excuse to tour the estate for yourself. See below for some official wording required by the FLW Foundation.

We started early on Tuesday morning arriving with enough time to drive through Spring Green before the estate tour started at 8:30 at the Visitor's Center. There were about 15 of us on the four-hour tour. A shuttle bus ride started the adventure at the Unity Chapel and the Hillside Home School. We then hiked to see Romeo and Juliet Windmill, Tan-y-deri House, Midway Farm, and then finally on to Taliesin.

The Welsh word Taliesin translated means "shining brow." This refers to the house being built into the brow of the hillside instead of on top of the hill. Wright is of course known for his "organic architecture" although both my father and I felt that his definition seemed somewhat fluid and open to his own interpretation. Taliesin is an architectural lab where he experimented over the years. In fact, it continues to change as it is still an active school for about 30 apprentices. Taliesin has a long and infamous history that goes beyond this simple journal entry. I don't have a recommendation on a book about Taliesin although there are several available. If you know of a good one please send me your recommendation. Taliesin is well covered in a biography of Frank Lloyd Wright by Meryl Secrest that I enjoyed.

Although you can see the main house from much of the estate, you don't get the full view until you hike past the Midway Farm on the entry road. The "birdwalk" can be seen on the right side of the house. The living room is on the right side and the guest room and master bedroom are located on the left side of this view. We hiked up the hill on the left side and refreshments on the terrace outside the master bedroom. You can see several more photographs of the house exterior.

The countryside around Taliesin is beautiful and a visit is required to do it justice.

Some more pictures including the "Flower in the Crannied Wall" can be found here

The refreshments after the walk around the estate were welcome.
Ah, this is the life at a country estate!

The Tea Circle Oak page.

A great father/son visit to a wonderful gift from the great American architect.

Taliesin Exterior

This is the tower located behind the main house. I believe our tour guide (Bryan) said these were now guestrooms although part of this complex used to house chickens. Remember, Taliesin was a working farm.

As we hiked up the hill I took this shot looking towards the "birdwalk" that juts out over the hill.

This photograph was taken from the center of the complex looking over the roofs of the main house. The garden where we had refreshments is located to the right near the master bedroom.

The birdwalk (below) is quite long and standing at the end provides a nice view of the house. The living room is to the right and the guestroom is to the left. Notice that the window to the immediate right of the birdwalk looking towards the house is a normal clear glass window.

Many photographs show this as an artglass window saved from the Heath House (S.105). According to our guide, the Taliesin Preservation Commission has been returning the house to its state when Wright was living so these windows have been removed to the interior of the house. As explained to us, the purpose of the artglass was to shield the interior from the exterior. That would not have been consistent with Wright's wishes at Taliesin.

The guestroom is to the immediate left of the birdwalk, and the master bedroom is further down towards the left end of the house.

Taliesin Countryside

The estate is located in rolling, wooded hills with a stream that feeds into the Wisconsin River. The river has been dammed creating a small waterfall, but the small hydroelectric plant no longer exists. This picture was taken from the birdwalk looking down the hill.

I believe this picture was taken looking out from the garden by the master bedroom,
or it might have been taken when we were walking up the hill.

Here we are walking down the road from Tan-y-deri to the Midway Farm.
It was a warm summer day (about 90 degrees and humid).

Taliesin Exterior Items

We first saw this splash pool after hiking up the hill. It looked very refreshing....

Sherpa is the cat at Taliesin....

Some of the oriental artifacts collected by Frank Lloyd Wright.
There was a good story behind these if you happen to know it, please drop me a note.

Bryan, our tour guide quoted the poem below by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892) that is inscribed on the back of the sculpture. She has seen better days. There is a good picture of the complete statue in 50 Favorite Furnishings by Frank Llloyd Wright.

"The Flower in the Crannied Wall"
Flower in the crannied wall,
I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,
Little flower—but if I could understand
What you are, root and all, and all in all,
I should know what God and man is.

– Tennyson

The Garden and the Tea Circle Oak

This is the trellised garden that we entered upon reaching the house.
We sat and had refreshments just to the left of this garden entrance.

Unfortunately, the "Tea Circle Oak" fell on the house in June of 1998 (the house has
been repaired). The picture below is of the only remaining large oak tree near the house.

The Tea Circle remains, but it certainly not the same without the oak tree.
The Taliesin gift shop may still have pen and pencil sets (#920, #921, #923) made
from the wood of the fallen Tea Circle Oak tree.

This is the bell that used to hang from the Tea Circle Oak.....

Taliesin Visitor's Center

The Talisin East Visitor's Center was designed by Wright in 1953 and although construction was started in the 1950's, it was not completed until after his death in 1960. The center has an extensive gift shop and a small casual restaurant with a wonderful view overlooking the Wisconsin River.

The tour of the estate started at the entrance to the gift shop and restaurant. The roof cantelievered over the entrance has a opening to let sunlight and rain reach the plants.

The Visitor's Center is an official Frank Lloyd Wright building.

Permissions Information

All of the models, drawings, designs and works of Frank Lloyd Wright and Taliesin Architects seen at Taliesin are the exclusive property of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Taliesin Architects and may not be photographed, reproduced, copied or duplicated without the express written consent of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Use with permission from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ.

Andrew T. Porter Residence — Tan-y-deri

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After hiking up the hill to see Romeo and Juliet, we walked a short distance to see the house that Wright built for his sister Jane and her husband Andrew Porter. The house was based on the design in a Fireproof House for $5000, an article published in the 1907 Ladies Home Journal. There is an excellent view of Taliesin from this hilltop.

Tan-y-deri is Welsh for "under the oaks."

The house is in the process of being restored. We saw work being done on the flat roof (porch?) and our tour guide told us that the wiring in the house was unsafe now and would be replaced. Although Frank Lloyd Wright is noted for his wonderful custom art glass windows, he did make use of more common leaded glass in some of his earlier houses. You can see typical examples in the upper floor windows here.

Romeo and Juliet Windmill

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"Romeo, as you will see, will do all the work and Juliet cuddle along-side to support and exalt him. Romeo takes the side of the blast and Juliet will entertain the school children. Let's let it go at that. No symbol should be taken too far."

Frank Lloyd Wright, An Autobiography

This is one of my favorite Wright structures. I didn't understand the reference to the name until seeing that the windmill consists of a diamond (Romeo) wrapped with a octagon (Juliet). This diagram is not to scale, but it conveys the idea behind the design of the windmill.

According to Storrer, the windmill was torn down in 1990 and rebuilt on the original foundation and with the original roof. May it last another 100 years!

These photographs are from the visit that my father and I made to Taliesin East this past summer.

The following is the view of the windmill from the Hillside School. You can see it was quite colorful with the flowers in bloom. It was a warm day, so we worked up a sweat climbing the hill for a closer look.

Although somewhat dark, you get a better view of Romeo in the following photograph.

Here is a closeup of the top of the windmill. Notice the red Taliesin square.

Unity Chapel

2000-08-15T00:49:00.000-04:00

Unity Chapel was the first stop on our tour at Taliesin East. This was probably the first building that Frank Lloyd Wright designed (at least the interior), so it is only fitting that he was originally buried in the cemetery here in 1959. Many of his ancestors are buried around him including his mother, Anna Lloyd Jones.

Although Silsbee, Wright's employer at the time, is credited with the design of Unity Chapel, Wright was probably the draftsman and he is credited with designing the interior.

Frank Lloyd Wright was originally buried in the family cemetery in 1959, but in 1985 he was exhumed, cremated, and placed with his third wife, Oligivanna Wright, at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona. This dying request of Oligivanna was very controversial and the events involved are described by Meryle Secrest in her biography of Wright. Our tour guide did not mention that Wright was no longer buried here.

In case you had thoughts of making your last resting place in "The Valley"....