Scottsdale City Council approved 6-0 a boundary designation for Taliesin West (pictured at left) at its first meeting in April, setting the stage for the property to be included on the Scottsdale Historic Register. “This has always been a worthwhile project, and we are excited that it is coming to a close,” said Beverly Hart, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation chief executive officer.The designation will be achieved by rezoning 10.6 acres — what is called the historic core — of the foundation property to add a historic property overlay to the existing single-family residential environmentally-sensitive zoning. The foundation owns nearly 500 acres bordered by McDowell Mountain Ranch to the north, Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. to the southwest, Ancalla to the east, and McDowell Mountain Sonoran Preserve. The affected acreage is roughly in the middle of the property. “This will be a formal recognition of the property’s significance to the city, and ensures we will work together with the foundation to maintain and preserve the property,” said Don Meserve, Scottsdale preservation planner.
Taliesin West was the winter home of architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the site of his architecture school. The school continues to operate on the site. “Our efforts are designed to show the property is honored as a living, breathing site of architecture,” Ms. Hart said. “The foundation plans no major changes to the historic core.” [Photo source: Arizona State University.]
