Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home in Scottsdale is open again with group and self-guided tours.

Since closing its doors in March 2020, Taliesin West has undergone restoration efforts that brought back the authentic essence of Wright’s desert laboratory.

“From something as simple as placing chairs around a fireplace to the more in-depth reconstruction of some of the room’s original furnishings, it all changes how the site is experienced and evokes a renewed sense of life in the spaces,” Emily Butler, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation director of preservation, said in a press release.

Taliesin West is Arizona’s first cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arizona’s other World Heritage Site is Grand Canyon National Park, which was added to the World Heritage List as a natural site in 1979.

Wright’s Scottsdale property, built in 1937, was added to the World Heritage List in July 2019 and had been designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 1982.

How to book a tour at Taliesin West

There are two tour options, and one of them involves listening to Wright himself explain his philosophies.

The new hourlong “Guided By Wright” self-guided tour involves moving around the site while listening to Wright through on app on your phone or a borrowed tablet.

According to the Taliesin West website, “Wright’s audio clips discuss his connection to nature, poetry and art, and other ideas that inspired his work.”

These tours are available beginning at 10, 10:10 and 10:20 a.m. daily. Reservations are required for all guests, including members. Prices are $40, $30 for students with ID, $19 for ages 6-12 and free for age 5 and younger. 

Group tours, which visit Wright’s private quarters, living room, garden room, drafting studio, music pavilion and more, also are back. They are limited to groups of 10 and cost the same as the self-guided tour. The guided tour is not recommended for children younger than 6.

Group tours take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Reservations: 888-516-0811, https://franklloydwright.org/taliesin-west/tickets-tours.

New at Taliesin West: Behind the restoration at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Arizona home

How Taliesin West will look different

Through its restoration efforts, Taliesin now has “new nods to the past.”

Some of the changes that have made the site “more authentic and accessible,” according to Frank Lloyd Foundation CEO Stuart Graff, include an acrylic protectant over a screen painting in the Dining Cove and a reconstructed portable canvas shade the Wright family used on the Sunset Terrace.

According to a press release, “The Foundation’s Collections and Preservation teams pored over hundreds of historic photographs and archival reference materials to get a sense of how Wright decorated, used and often rearranged his environs with eclectic, beautiful artifacts and designs.”

This has resulted in “an even richer essence of what life was like in Wright’s heyday.”

More: Frank Lloyd Wright’s School of Architecture to change name, move to Arcosanti

COVID-19 safety measures at Taliesin West

Taliesin West has new signs, plexiglass barriers and store arrangements to ensure social distancing and touchless experiences. Here are some of the safety precautions:

• Face coverings over the nose and mouth are required in all areas, indoors and outdoors.
• Cash is not accepted.
• Guided tours are restricted to 10 people.
• Advance reservations are required.
• Only one person or family is allowed in the bathroom at one time.
• The store has limited capacity, and furniture is rearranged to allow for physical distancing.

Details: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Taliesin West, 12621 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale. $19-$40. 480-860-2700, https://franklloydwright.org/taliesin-west.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or at 602-444-4968. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobin and Instagram @ReporterKiMi.

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