Taliesin-Celebrating the beauty of the Wisconsin Landscape

Balcony in the main residence at Taliesin

The rolling hills in the driftless region of southwestern Wisconsin are the home of Taliesin, an estate with several buildings on it created through the eyes of America's most celebrated and imitated architect.  He had a knack for creating in such a way as to bring the building and it's surroundings together.  Celebrating nature and also melding form and function.  Wood, Glass & Stone; some of the most important elements in his creations. He was raised in Spring Green, Wisconsin and even if you are not familiar with Taliesin, you can probably guess that I am talking about Frank Lloyd Wright.

Frank Lloyd Wright, circa 1926

A recent trip to Spring Green and Taliesin inspired me to pen this blog. I know sometimes dates are just numbers, but I found it interesting and ironic that Frank Lloyd Wright died in 1959...and I was born in 1959.  It makes me feel younger and/or older... not sure which.  In any case for me that was a unique bit of trivia. 

Taliesin has a unique pronunciation: TAL-ee-ESS-in.  Once you have heard it correctly pronounced a few times it is easy, but it did take me a few times.  Wright decided on the name of his 800-acre estate to honor his Welsh heritage. Taliesin means "shining brow " in Welsh. His home was built on the "brow" of the hill to have a vantage point for viewing the rolling hills of the landscape. In true form of many of his architectural visions, he wanted the building to be treated as a n element of nature. He knew that if you build a structure on top of a hill, then you lose the hill.  As Wright himself explained: "It should be of the hill, belonging to it, so hill and house could live together each the happier for the other."

I am not a student of architecture, but nevertheless it is fascinating to tour this place and learn about some of the unconventional types of building styles that Wright introduced. For example, the concept of "open air" design and having rooms flow one into the other, i.e. living room into dining room, with no separation, was an idea that Wright really encouraged in his designs.  The Victorian style of design required separate rooms and many walls to divide them.  Wright insisted on a more open design. He also developed a concept  he called Compression and Release, creating a low, intimate space that suddenly opens up into something expansive and full of light.  When you step from a smaller space to a larger room full of light and height, the room seems more alive.   It makes the presentation of a high vaulted ceiling that much more grand. An interesting concept, but when touring Taliesin, my husband, who is 6'2" had to really watch his head in the contracting and expanding process. Wright was 5'7". 

Wright's private residence was at Taliesin, but several buildings on the estate were also dedicated to a boarding school: Hillside School. He had it built for his aunts, who were teachers with a desire to run one of the first co-educational boarding schools in the country. The school operated only from 1901 to 1915. The building remained idle until 1932, when it was revised and used to house the newly founded Taliesin Fellowship, a school for apprentice architects.   The foundation and general philosophy of the school was hands on approach.  Several of the early students started by remodeling the Hillside School and adding a 5,000 square foot drafting studio.

Salvaged pieces: Blossoms of the Soul
 

Many of his design styles were also heavily influenced by his love for Japanese culture.  He made several trips to Japan, and spent a fortune as a collector of paintings and sculptures for his home in Spring Green. Some of his architectural styles were also influenced by his concept of a building's "spirit", which he felt was more important than it's geometry or physical form.  Following devastating fires at Taliesin, Wright was able to salvage several pieces of artwork and sculptures.  Frequently he incorporated them into the rebuilding of the structure with the believe that the spirit lives on and is incorporated into the new building. 

Wright and his apprentices called these features "Blossom of the Soul."  

Here is a photo of a salvaged sculpture that was literally embedded into the masonry at Taliesin. The sculptures were not meant to be just a historical footnote, but rather to become a new part of the buildings character.

Prior to visiting Taliesin, I just viewed Frank Lloyd Wright the way most of the general public does: he was a man of great talent who achieved and pioneered many techniques/styles in architecture.  Yet, like many accomplished geniuses he had an interesting and an often troubled life.  There was so much drama and tragic events in his life that sometimes it was amazing he had the strength and tenacity to deal with it all. Yet, the love of his work and passion for his art made him persevere. 

Both the joys in his life and tragic events are beautifully crafted in this book: The Women by T.C. Boyle. The book is not a true biography of Wright, but rather historical fiction.  The events that  took place really happened but the conversations and inner most thoughts of Wright were embellished to tell the story. He had three wives and a mistress.  (maybe more than one mistress, depending on how you define mistress) His first wife gave him six children and there were also several illegitimate children. Fires  struck twice at Taliesin, and Wright rebuilt each time. One of the fires was arson, started by an employee on the property.  After starting the fire, he killed people with an ax if they were seeking to escape. Gruesome story. Seven people were killed in that fire, including  Wright's true love and mistress: Mamah Borthwick Cheney. He had originally built Taliesin as a place they could be together: shielded from aggressive reporters and the public sentiment regarding their non-married status.

The book is fascinating with insights about the personal life of these famous architect, yet the narrative can be quite confusing because it is not in chronological order.  The events actually occurred, but bounces back in forth in time. For example, the two fires are Taliesin are discussed in the book, but the second fire was documented first.   Perhaps the author formatted it this way to force the reader to gain a better understanding of what happened when.  When I first started reading this, to keep everyone straight, I had to write down out the names of his wives, and when he was married to whom. Nevertheless, it provides some insights into the life of this architectural genius.

So, have I piqued your curiosity? After visiting Taliesin, it confirmed my thinking that when one travels  to visit a specific place it’s always good to do your “homework” before AND  after the trip.  You can learn so much more and it opens up new windows on the given topic. What is more exciting than to make new discoveries?

If you are interesting in visiting Taliesin and finding more about Frank Lloyd Wright--here is the link to the website: https://www.taliesinpreservation.org/tours/

                                                                                                    Julie Etta Smith