Taliesin Restoration

[Guest]

I've been trying to find out.... are they going to remove that rubblestone patio near Wright's room someone transported from Arizona? The tour guide wasn't very pleased when I commented how ugly it was!

[rgrant]

It is my understanding that the ultimate goal is to return the entire place to the way it looked in 1959. I would like to see the gold wall in the living room replaced with the original stone, reconstruction of the guest room and restoration of the apprentice dining room with the tiny dinette off to one corner.

[Spring Green]

I've been trying to find out.... are they going to remove that rubblestone patio near Wright's room someone transported from Arizona? The tour guide wasn't very pleased when I commented how ugly it was!

I think you're talking about the rubblestone patio seen in a photograph taken in 1952 by Pedro Guerrero. So it won't be removed. Sorry you don't like it, but that's what we've got to live with. I know some people who simply hate the Birdwalk, but it's the same deal.

[Guest]

Are you saying that Wright actually installed that concrete patio with the embedded stones ala Taliesin West? That really surprises me, and I still think its ugly. It doesn't match the fabric of Taliesin Wright so carefully seemed to maintain over the years.



That would be like building a limestone stick-out retaing wall at TW.



I feel the same about a few other Wright houses where the rubblestone thing looked out of context.

[Guest]

That Guerrero photo view is fine, maybe we are not talking about the same thing:



http://www.danmccreary.com/taliesin/DSC_0354.JPG



The portion cantilevered at the left is what I'm questioning. The birdwalk was an important aesthetic addition! I'm sure the south facade was looking a little "stubby" to Wright.

[Spring Green]

The portion cantilevered at the left is what I'm questioning. The birdwalk was an important aesthetic addition! I'm sure the south facade was looking a little "stubby" to Wright.

No, we were talking about the same thing. The cantilevered portion that we're talking about is seen to the right of the cedar tree (just right of center) in the Guerrero photo.



As for the Birdwalk, some people don't like it, that's all. Different strokes. You can get a sense of what the east facade of the building looked like before the Birdwalk from another Guerrero photo, this one from 1940. I think this facade of the structure had more of a dynamism. This was toned down when a terrace was added on the east facade, shortly before the Birdwalk.

[Spring Green]

Are you saying that Wright actually installed that concrete patio with the embedded stones ala Taliesin West? That really surprises me, and I still think its ugly. It doesn't match the fabric of Taliesin Wright so carefully seemed to maintain over the years.

Yes, Wright installed that patio. Still, I don't think you have to worry that the Wright police will be knocking on your door any time soon if you don't like it. I personally don't much care for the big lower court at Taliesin (the one with the trees growing through the roof).

[pharding]

An inventory should be developed of anything added by Olga to TW. Or added at her request by FLW. This should all be removed as part of the restoration. She had poor aesthetic judgement. The gold plaster wall over stone in the living room and the pink plaster wall over stone in the guest bedroom are dreadful alterations by Olga.

[Spring Green]

An inventory should be developed of anything added by Olga to TW. Or added at her request by FLW. This should all be removed as part of the restoration. She had poor aesthetic judgement. The gold plaster wall over stone in the living room and the pink plaster wall over stone in the guest bedroom are dreadful alterations by Olga.

Taliesin Preservation, Inc. is working on what she added after 1959; as for what she requested, that's a little more difficult, since he most likely approved it. It's something that will be mulled over, certainly.

[rgrant]

The one request that he granted that I would like to see gone is that moon gate, which is totally out of place. But the gold wall is at the top of the list.

[Spring Green]

Interestingly enough, the gold wall may be done rather late in the restoration process. Firstly, of course, there is foundation, HVAC, and mechanicals work, along with needed stabilization to be done. The stuff that nobody sees always takes the most time and money (as you know doubt know).

[Guest]

Which moon gate, rgrant?



TA built one for Olga's private garden after Frank's death, but then torn it out after she died.



Can't recall another one....unless you mean the one resurrected at TW in the recent renovation?

[Spring Green]

One of them appears in the book by Frances Nemtin, Frank Lloyd Wright and Taliesin, p. 53, in Mrs. Wright's garden. There were 3 moon gates into the garden, all removed when the garden was removed after Mrs. Wright's death.

[JimM]

Is it known whether the moon gates at TE were intended by Wright for Olga's garden, or a TA decision?



Only wondering, since I noticed in the Quarterly they put one back in during the TW renovation. I would not have thought Wright would submit to such a literal icon. But then the concrete terrace surprised me! I also took exception to a tour guides opinion of the original Taliesin driveway location, even though he said he had the HSR on his side! Then again, I have not seen the report to convince me....



That is one document I crave to study.

[Spring Green]

Is it known whether the moon gates at TE were intended by Wright for Olga's garden, or a TA decision?



Only wondering, since I noticed in the Quarterly they put one back in during the TW renovation. I would not have thought Wright would submit to such a literal icon. But then the concrete terrace surprised me! I also took exception to a tour guides opinion of the original Taliesin driveway location, even though he said he had the HSR on his side! Then again, I have not seen the report to convince me....

I don't know about the moon gate at T-West, but the moon gates at Taliesin were not constructed until after 1959 and don't seem to appear in any drawing. But the terrace at Taliesin is there in at least 2 pre-1959 photos and a plan. Granted, you can't judge Taliesin by plans, but this was a plan which had freehand additions made in the 1950s, and the freehand additions have been shown to be reliable. At least, as reliable as any floor plan of Taliesin (which means that if 90% of it conformed to what was actually there at any point in time, it's a pretty good floor plan).



Since I don't know what the tour guide said about the placement of the original driveway, I can't say whether or not they were right or wrong, or whether they had misinterpreted historical information. Which has happened to Wright experts as well as tour guides (who, despite all statements to the contrary, may actually be the same thing).



Portions of a Taliesin HSR has been re-written over the years by Taliesin Preservation as more (and more, and more) information has been amassed. An HSR, as defined, has not fully been created. However, since most preservationists have disagreements on what the definition of what an HSR is, I'm not surprised that the tour guide took written information and thought this was the HSR. Some of this existing information may be incorporated into a future HSR.



The Taliesin HSR is the holy grail of HSRs. When the full history of Taliesin is written, it will likely reach 10,000 pages (or more) simply in the historical portion, given the current output of research. Hopefully it may come while you and I still live. What do you with a building that changed constantly and at which the architect left very little plans, and those plans that he left don't always show what actually existed at any one time? You research, and research, and research.