While Taliesin is properly only the name of the building which served as the Wright family home, it is also used to refer to the whole complex of buildings by built and owned by Wright in this area. Built in 1911, after Wright returned from a two year stay in Europe, part of the building burned in 1914 and again in 1925. Each time Wright rebuilt it and carried on. Wright again also almost lost the building in the late 20's due to severe personal and financial difficulties, but he managed to regain control of the property and then, in the early 30's, opened a school for architectural students. Wright's apprentices not only assisted him with his architectural work, but also helped with the operation of the Taliesin estate and farmed the nearby land. In the mid 30's, Wright built Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona and thereafter spent the winters there, but Taliesin remained his spring to fall home until his death in 1959.
Taliesin is open for public tours, see www.taliesinpreservation.org for details.
Recently we took the 4 hour estate tour of the Taliesin property, following are some pictures: