Taliesin Spring Green, Wisconsin

What kind of Frank Lloyd Wright fan would I be if I didn’t havemy Taliesin photos up on my web site???  A forgetful one.  In allthe moving and re-organizing that we’ve done around the house, I lost a box thathad most of my Taliesin photos in it.

A Few Interior Photos

2004 Photos

River Terrace Visitor’s center.

We traveled to Wisconsin in mid April.  This is a greattime to visit.  The weather is wonderful and the trees are green andlush.  The flowers are starting to come out and it is nice and cool. The down side of coming in April is that regular tours at Taliesin East do notstart until May 1.  There wasn’t a way to re-schedule this trip, since itwas in conjunction with a work junket I was on, so we saw what we could.

View from the meadow

View from the hill.

Looking up at the Wright’s bedroom wing.

The basic tour that was available gave us a nice drive aroundthe grounds.  We got to see a lot of the buildings from the tour bus. At the end of the tour we got to walk around the main Taliesin home andbuildings and tour the living room.  The guide was wonderful and introducedus to many of the people (and felines) that we met.

From the meadow.

The views from Taliesin are wonderful.  You get a greatchance to see the ponds that Wright had built as well as a look at the smallhydro-electric generator that he designed.

Road leading to the house

The ponds were very full.

I knew Taliesin was intended to be a working farm, but all ofthe photos tend to dwell on the buildings, rather than the landscape. Being there really gives you an idea that you’re in the middle of productiveagricultural land.

View of the fields that are now grasslands.

One of the highlights of the main Taliesin complex is thecourtyard.  This private area has many great places to sit and relax.

Buildings along the courtyard.

Looking up the courtyard towards the apprentice housing

Looking back down the courtyard at the main entrance to thehouse.

Looking back towards the Wright’s bedroom wing

The terrace outside the Wright’s bedroom.

We got to see many of the other buildings around Taliesin. I’d like to go back next summer and take the full tour.  It would be greatto be able to see inside many of the homes and buildings that are there.  Iimagine the place is completely different when Fellowship members are livingthere.  Taliesin West was sure a lively place during the winter.  Iimagine the sleepy nature of Taliesin East in the early spring wouldn’t existduring the summer and early fall.

This small bungalo was designed and built by an apprentice

This is another home designed and built by apprentices.

Since we were there early in the season, the interior was stillbeing worked on in preparation for the return of fellowship members as well asmore tourists.  For that reason, we got to see Taliesin as many peopledon’t get to see it.  I thought it was a plus to see it more in its naturalstate than all polished and clean.  I guess I’m a weirdo that way.

Interior Photos

Living Room Fireplace

Living room preparing for paint.

The Taliesin Lamp next to the Taliesin Ladder

This tour was a great testament to the need for the TaliesinTrust’s need for funds.  Much of the home was used as a guinea pig forexperimental building techniques.  Mr. Wright would have apprentices trythings out on his own home before he did it with a client’s.  In addition,much of the building was done during the depression and other lean years whenthey had no money for construction.  For those reasons, there are a lot ofthings that need fixing around Taliesin.  Oh yeah…. the hill that thehome is built on is sliding into the lake.  They need some serious work tostabilize that and get it shored up.  The amount of work that needed to bedone was a little startling.  I guess that is why I want to go backagain… give them some of my hard earned disposable income.

2004 Photographs

Taliesin from across the valley

Taliesin was built in 1911, 1914 and 1925. It is pretty widely known that the name Taliesin comes from the Welsh word meaning “Shining Brow”. It signifies that the home is built on the side of the hill, rather than the top of it. Wright’s claimed reason for building it was originally as a home for his mother. It became evident quickly that it was a home for himself and Mamah Chaney where they could get away from people in Oak Park where such a scandal was left in their wake.

Slightly closer up view of Taliesin

Taliesin was rebuilt the first time after a fire that was set by an employee that had just been fired. Mamah Chaney, some of her childrenand many others were killed in that fire. Others survived, but were severely injured.

Another look up at Taliesin from the meadow

It was mostly the living quarters that were destroyed by fire.Other parts survived and still do today.

The Wright’s bedroom from outside

Taliesin much as you see it here was built again after a fire in 1925. Many things were added to the home through the 30s, 40s and 50s as it was home to the Taliesin Fellowship.

Fellowship member living space.

Carports and garage space

Another view of the carports looking back at the fellowship living space

Carports and garages

More living space

The back of Mr. Wright’s office.

Another look at the stairs, looking towards the Taliesin living room

Looking down the stairs

The Wrights’ living space from the entry

The plunge pool in the court yard

Another view of the Wrights’ bedroom and Mr. Wright’s office

Plunge Pool

The courtyard

Another view of fellowship and architect residences

And again

Taliesin from the top of the court yard

View of the fields from Taliesin

Other buildings related to Taliesin:

Hillside Home School II

Unity Chapel

FLW Visitor’s Center

Romeo and Juliet Windmill

Tanyderi

Midway Barns

Apprentice Homes

About the author

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Brad Smith

Brad Smith is an experienced interior designer and the founder of OmniHomeIdeas.com. With a Master's degree in Interior Design from Pratt Institute and a passion for creating safe and healthy living spaces, Brad shares his expert insights and innovative design ideas with our readers. His work is driven by the belief that home is where every story begins.

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