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Taliesin Associated Architects Collection 1960-2009

MSS-436

Biographical Note

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his wife, Olgivanna, created the Taliesin Fellowship in 1932 as a group of apprentices and their families who lived, worked and studied with Wright at Taliesin in Wisconsin and Taliesin West in Arizona. The program incorporated a broad learning environment well beyond architecture, integrating all aspects of the apprentices' lives with the goal of fostering creativity, responsibility and appreciation of arts and culture. The Fellowship was incorporated as the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in 1940.

At the time of his death in 1959, Frank Lloyd Wright left about 120 projects in various stages of progress (preliminary sketches, awaiting working drawings, working drawings under way, buildings under construction, client correspondence, etc.) To facilitate completion of these projects and to continue Wright's architectural practice and legacy, members of the Fellowship formed Taliesin Associated Architects as an Arizona corporation in 1959. The firm name was changed to Taliesin Architects, Ltd. (TA) in 1991, as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and headquartered at Taliesin West.

By 1996 TA had about fifty employees and four studios, two in Arizona (Taliesin West and Phoenix) and two in Wisconsin (Taliesin and Madison). Including support space such as offices, conference rooms, storage and a library, the firm occupied about 50,000 square feet. The firm also created affiliations with architects and former apprentices in other locations within the United States (including Ohio, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Malibu, New York City, Denver, Portland, Dallas, Honolulu, Nashville, and Miami) and internationally (Japan and Iran).

TA operated with a group of ten principal architects, one of whom was the managing principal. The firm's strategy, business development, resource allocation, and profitability were overseen by its Board of Directors composed of the Managing Trustee, the CFO of the Foundation, the principals of the firm, and five outside board members.

From 1959 through 2003, when it disbanded, the firm received an estimated 1200 commissions, almost half of which were completed. The first managing principal was Wright's protégé and son-in-law, William Wesley Peters. Other TAA architects and designers included Charles Montooth, John Rattenbury, Vernon Swaback, Kamal Amin, John Aubrey Banks, John deKoven Hill, Cornelia Brierly, Alan Christensen and David Dodge.

Scope and Content Note

This collection documents projects by Taliesin Associated Architects related to Arizona State University, as well as the United States Border Facility at Lukeville, Arizona. It includes architectural drawings, sketches, photographs, job files, specifications, scrapbooks and newspaper clippings. Materials are dated 1960-2009.

Taliesin Associated Architects created or received the materials in this collection during work on projects at Arizona State University and the United States Border Facility. Arizona State University projects include Gammage Memorial Auditorium (and various renovations), Phi Delta Theta Fraternity House, Music Building (and addition), College of Law interiors and Oasis Natural History Museum. The 34 oversize folders in the collection contain mostly architectural drawings. The boxes include primarily project files with a variety of document types, including correspondence, photographs, project manuals and specifications.

Arrangement

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Design and the Arts Special Collections Reading Room at the Design and the Arts Library on the Tempe campus are available Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Copyright

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation holds the copyright and all other intellectual property rights to this collection.

Access Terms

Administrative Information

Credit Line

[Identification of item], Taliesin Associated Architects Collection, MSS-436, Arizona State University Library.

Provenance

This collection was transferred as a gift by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to Arizona State University in June 2021 (Accession #2021-05820).

Processing Note

File titles and physical organization of the collection established by Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation processing personnel have generally been retained. In some cases, oversize materials originally filed in standard size folders have been rehoused in oversize folders or boxes.

Container List