The architect who lived right

Private living quarters that architect Frank Lloyd Wright occupied for nearly 20 years toward the end of his life have been opened for tours at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The den, bedroom and office are in a wing of the complex, which is the winter campus of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and headquarters of the foundation devoted to his work.

The wing is next to Taliesin West’s showpiece, a grand living room, dubbed the Garden Room, that measures 56 feet by 34 feet and provided a public gathering space for students, clients and celebrities.

By contrast, the architect’s personal area was modest in size and furnishings. The living space and den, called Swan Cove after a Japanese silk screen, is 6 feet by 12 feet. The bedroom, with a fireplace and work area, is less than 11 by 11 feet.

The rooms are furnished with reproductions of tables, chairs, couches and other items that Wright designed for the space. The originals are in storage because they are too delicate to withstand the crush of visitors, nearly 124,000 per year, to Taliesin West, said spokeswoman Beverly Hart. The modular designs, she said, showed that Wright “lived what he preached.”

Artwork in the rooms, including Southwest pots and kachinas and a photo mural of an Oriental screen, reflects Wright’s eclectic interests and influences.

Wright founded Taliesin West in 1937 to seek out a better climate. Doctors had advised the aging architect, who was born in 1867, to make the move after he suffered bouts of pneumonia at his estate in Spring Green, Wis., also named “Taliesin,” which means “shining brow” in Welsh.

After camping out during construction at Taliesin West, Wright in 1940 built the private wing, where he and his wife, Olgivanna, regularly spent the winter season. After he died in 1959, she continued to live there until her death in 1985. It was most recently office space for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Photos and research, including interviews with Wright intimates, Hart said, helped restorers reconstruct the living quarters as they were when the architect occupied them. The $330,000 project was funded by private donors, the city of Scottsdale and a grant from National Endowment for the Arts.

Taliesin West is open daily; hours vary by season. Several tour options are offered, costing $18 to $45 per person and lasting an hour to three hours. For more information, call (480) 860-2700 or visit www.franklloydwright.org.