In the 1930s, internationally renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright came to Scottsdale and began building his winter camp, Taliesin West. From here, Wright created a new form of desert architecture and established a legacy that can be seen at the world headquarters of Taliesin Architects in Scottsdale. Taliesin West draws visitors from all over the world who come to this living laboratory of Wright’s ideas.

Taliesin West
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation recently completed an ambitious project to renovate Frank Lloyd Wright’s private living quarters at Taliesin West. The kitchen and bedrooms of Wright and his wife Olgivanna have been restored to how they looked when he died in 1959. The living quarters were added by Wright in 1940 and contain a living space, private bedroom and work space. The wing, adjacent to the site’s famous living room, which Wright called the “Garden Room,” has been remodeled to restore the masonry and structural work to their original appearances, as well as a full restoration of the interiors. Visitors can select from a variety of tour options. Check their website for details.

For those looking to take a bit of Wright home with them, the bookstore at Taliesin West was recently expanded to create a larger gift shop. Items for sale include Wright-designed furniture, lamps and other decorative items, as well as a large selection of books, jewelry and art objects.

The Legacy
A Wright-designed spire stands at the northwest corner of the Promenade shopping center in North Scottsdale at Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. It is 20-feet wide at the base and 125-feet tall and framed with steel, painted with copper color paint, glazed with plastic, and illuminated internally at night.

The developers of Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain are also the masterminds of the renovated Hotel Valley Ho. Originally built in 1956, the hotel property is said to be one of the nation’s best-preserved examples of mid-century architecture as the original structures are in excellent shape. Designed by Edward L. Varney and Associates, one of the most prominent architectural firms of the time, the hotel reflected Scottsdale’s true cosmopolitan nature with much of the original property featuring Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired design elements. At the time, the hotel housed 180-rooms, centered around a courtyard pool. The $80 million comprehensive remodel included a rehabilitation of the original hotel, the construction of a new room wing bringing the total accommodations to 194-deluxe rooms and suites, as well as adding a seven-story tower with the five-upper levels devoted to residences with dramatic views.