Taliesin is the home, studio, school, and 800-acre estate of Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959). Located in the Driftless Region of southwestern Wisconsin near Spring Green, Taliesin is the name of Wright’s 37,000 square foot home as well as the estate that includes buildings from nearly every decade of Wright’s career from the 1890s to the 1950s. In 1976, Taliesin is designated as a National Historic Landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wright designed the main Taliesin home and studio, after leaving his first wife and home in Oak Park, Illinois with his mistress, Mamah Borthwick. The design of the original building was consistent with the design principles of the Prairie School, emulating the flatness of the plains and the natural limestone outcroppings of Wisconsin’s Driftless Area. The structure (which included agricultural and studio wings) was completed in 1911. The name, Taliesin, meaning ‘shining-brow’ in Welsh, was initially used for this building (built on and into the brow of a hill or ridge) and later for the entire estate.
Wright rebuilt the Taliesin residential wing in 1914 after a disgruntled employee set fire to the living quarters and murdered Borthwick and six others. This second version was used only sparingly by Wright as he worked on projects abroad. He returned to the house in 1922 following the completion of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. A fire caused by electrical problems destroyed the living quarters in April 1925. The third version of the living quarters was constructed by Wright by late 1925.
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