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===Life at Taliesin===
Upon moving in with Borthwick in the winter of 1911, Wright resumed work on his architectural projects, but he struggled to secure commissions because of the ongoing negative publicity over his affair with Borthwick (whose ex-husband, [[Edwin Cheney]], maintained primary [[Child custody|custody]] of their son and daughter). However, Wright did produce some of his most acclaimed works during this time period, including the [[Midway Gardens]] in [[Chicago]] and the [[Avery Coonley House|Avery Coonley Playhouse]] in [[Riverside, Illinois|Riverside]]. He also indulged his hobby for collecting [[Japanese art]], and quickly became a renowned authority. Borthwick translated four works from Swedish [[difference feminist]] [[Ellen Key]].{{sfn|McCrea|2012|p=131}}
 
[[File:Taliesin I courtyard.jpg|thumb|The courtyard of the completed complex as seen from the tea circle in the summer of 1912. The studio is to the left and the living quarters are to the right; the loggia is in between.]]
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'''Julian Carlton''' was a 31-year-old man who came to work as a chef and servant at Taliesin for the summer. Carlton was an [[Afro-Caribbean]] of [[West Indian]] descent, ostensibly from [[Barbados]]. He was recommended to Wright by John Vogelsong Jr., the caterer for the Midway Gardens project. Carlton and his wife Gertrude had previously served in the house of Vogelsong's parents in Chicago. Originally a genial presence on the estate, Carlton grew increasingly paranoid. He stayed up late at night with a butcher knife, looking out the window. This behavior had been noticed by Wright and Borthwick, who issued an ad in a local paper for a replacement cook. Carlton was given notice that August 15, 1914, would be his last day in their employ.{{sfn|McCrea|2012|p=192}}
[[File:Taliesin Hatchet.jpg|thumb|The hatchet used in the Taliesin attacks]]
Before he left, Carlton plotted to kill theTaliesin's workers and residents.{{sfn|McCrea|2012|p=192}}<ref of,name="n160187162">{{Cite andnews workers|date=2014-08-13 at,|title=Town rises to occasion after Taliesin mass murder |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-town-rises-to-occasion/160187162/ |access-date=2024-12-02 |work=The Capital Times |pages=22}}</ref> His primary target was draftsman Emil Brodelle, who had racially abused Carlton on August 12 for not following an order. Brodelle and Carlton also engaged in a minor physical confrontation two days later.{{sfn|McCrea|2012|p=192}} He planned the assault, targeting the noon hour, when Borthwick, her visiting children, and the studio personnel would be on opposite sides of Taliesin's living quarters awaiting lunch.<ref name="n160187162" />{{sfn|Secrest|1992|pp=218–219}}{{sfn|McCrea|2012|pp=188–191}} Wright was away in Chicago completing Midway Gardens while Borthwick stayed at home with her two children, 11-year-old John and 8-year-old Martha. As only two survived that day and there was no criminal trial, the sequence of events have been posited based on details from the two survivors (William Weston and Herbert Fritz), and evidence found at the scene.{{sfn|Secrest|1992|pp=218–219}}{{sfn|McCrea|2012|pp=188–191}}
 
On August 15, Carlton grabbed a shingling [[hatchet]] and began an attack. It is believed that he started with Borthwick and two of her children, John and Martha, whoMartha—who were waiting on the porch off the living room{{sfn|Secrest|1992|pp=218–219}}{{sfn|McCrea|2012|pp=188–191}}—as they were the most vulnerable of his targets.<ref name="n160187162" /> Apparently, Mamah Borthwick was killed by a single blow to the head, and her son John was killed as he sat in his chair. Martha managed to flee, but was hunted down and killed in the courtyard. Carlton then coated the bodies in [[gasoline]] and set them on fire, setting the house ablaze.{{sfn|Secrest|1992|pp=218–219}}{{sfn|McCrea|2012|pp=188–191}} He then attacked the living quarters where the staff were situated, pouring [[gasoline]] underneath the door of the far end of the quarters and setting them on fire. Draftsman Herbert Fritz managed to break open a window and escape, though he broke his arm in the process.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/justice-story/wright-mare-massacre-frank-lloyd-home-article-1.1591522 |first=Mara |last=Bovsun |title=Cook massacres seven at Wisconsin home Frank Lloyd Wright built for his mistress |newspaper=New York Daily News |date=January 25, 2014 |access-date=December 6, 2017 |archive-date=December 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206212809/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/justice-story/wright-mare-massacre-frank-lloyd-home-article-1.1591522 |url-status=live}}</ref> Carlton mortally wounded Brodelle, and then attacked the other occupants.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 5, 2017 |title=The Terrible Crime at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/28519/taliesin-tragedy |access-date=July 8, 2024 |website=Mental Floss |language=en-US |archive-date=July 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708184058/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/28519/taliesin-tragedy |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
With the house empty and people wounded, Carlton ran to the basement and into a fireproof furnace chamber. He had brought a small vial of [[hydrochloric acid]] with him and attempted [[suicide]] by swallowing it, but it failed to kill him.{{sfn|McCrea|2012|pp=188–191}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/flw/buildings/taliesin/taliesin_wright02.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903162351/https://www.pbs.org/flw/buildings/taliesin/taliesin_wright02.html |archive-date=September 3, 2019 |first=Ken |last=Burns |title=Frank Lloyd Wright |publisher=[[PBS]]}}</ref> Together, Lindblom and Weston ran to a neighboring farm to send the alert of the attack. Weston then returned to Taliesin and used a garden hose to help extinguish the flames. His efforts saved the studio (with many of Wright's drawings and manuscripts), as well as the agricultural part of the building. Eventually, neighbors arrived to assist in putting out the fire, to tend to survivors, and search for the murderer. Gertrude was found in a nearby field, apparently unaware of her husband's intentions. She was dressed in travel clothes, expecting to catch a train to Chicago with Julian to seek a new job.{{sfn|McCrea|2012|p=192}}
 
[[File:Taliesin After Fire.jpg|thumb|It is believed the man on the left is Frank Lloyd Wright, surveying the damage after the fire.]]
Later in the afternoon, Sheriff John Williams located Carlton and arrested him. Carlton was transferred to the county jail in [[Dodgeville, Wisconsin|Dodgeville]].{{sfn|McCrea|2012|pp=188–191}} Gertrude was released from police custody shortly after the incident. She was sent to Chicago with $7 and was never heard from again. The hydrochloric acid that Carlton ingested had badly burnt his [[esophagus]], which made it difficult for him to ingest food. Carlton was [[indictment|indicted]] on August 16 and was charged with the [[murder]] of Emil Brodelle, the only death that was directly witnessed by a survivor.{{sfn|McCrea|2012|pp=195–196}} Carlton pleaded not guilty. Forty-seven days after the fire, before the case could be heard, Carlton died of starvation in his cell.<ref name="n160187162" />{{sfn|McCrea|2012|pp=195–196}} Wright's biographers in the 20th century tended not to discuss the Taliesin massacre; one biography dedicated only one paragraph to the attacks, while another said obliquely that the "incident marked a rupture in Wright's career".<ref name="n160101709">{{Cite news |last=Wolff |first=Patricia |date=2011-06-26 |title=Tranquil Taliesin harbors tragic tale |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oshkosh-northwestern-tranquil-talies/160101709/ |access-date=2024-12-01 |work=The Oshkosh Northwestern |pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oshkosh-northwestern-tranquil-talies/160106162/ A7]}}</ref> The Taliesin murders remained relatively obscure until the 2000s, when two books about the attacks were published.<ref name="n160101709" />
 
===Aftermath===
BodiesThe fire destroyed the living areas, but the agriculture wing and the drafting studio survived largely intact.<ref name="n160101709" /> The bodies of the dead and injured were brought to [[Tan-y-Deri]], the nearby home of Wright's sister, Jane Porter. The dead were Mamah and Brodelle, with John missing (his remains were later found incinerated). Martha Cheney, foreman Thomas Brunker, and Ernest Weston (13-year-old son of William Weston) would die later that day or that night. Gardener David Lindblom survived until August 18 (Tuesday morning). Wright returned to Taliesin that night with his son [[John Lloyd Wright|John]] and Edwin Cheney.{{sfn|McCrea|2012|pp=188–191}} Cheney brought the remains of his children back to Chicago while Wright buried Mamah Borthwick on the grounds of nearby [[Unity Chapel]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS562 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright |date=August 3, 2012 |publisher=Wisconsin Historical Society |access-date=August 21, 2024 |archive-date=August 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821111745/https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS562 |url-status=live}}</ref> (the chapel of the mother's side of his family). Heartbroken over the loss of his lover, Wright did not mark the grave because he could not bear to be reminded of the tragedy.{{sfn|McCrea|2012|p=193}} He also did not hold a funeraryfuneral service for Borthwick, although he did fund and attend services for his employees' services.{{sfn|McCrea|2012|p=194}}
 
Wright struggled with the loss of Borthwick, experiencing symptoms of [[conversion disorder]], [[insomnia]], weight loss, and temporary blindness.{{sfn|Wright|1943|p=262}} After a few months of recovery, aided by his sister Jane Porter, Wright moved to an apartment he rented in Chicago at 25 East Cedar Street.{{sfn|McCrea|2012|p=198}} The attack also had a profound effect on Wright's design principles; biographer Robert Twombly writes that his Prairie School period ended after the loss of Borthwick.{{sfn|Drennan|2007|p=157}}
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==Taliesin II==
[[File:Taliesin II Courtyard.jpg|thumb|The courtyard of Taliesin II]]
Shortly after the Taliesin massacre, Wright declared his intention to rebuild the complex.<ref name="n160187162" /> Within a few months of his recovery, Wright began work on rebuilding Taliesin, naming the rebuilt structure "Taliesin II": <blockquote>There is release from anguish in action. Anguish would not leave Taliesin until action for renewal began. Again, and at once, all that had been in motion before at the will of the architect was set in motion. Steadily, again, stone by stone, board by board, Taliesin the II began to rise from Taliesin the first.<ref>Frank Lloyd Wright. ''An Autobiography'', in ''Frank Lloyd Wright Collected Writings: 1930–32'', Vol. 2. Edited by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, introduction by Kenneth Frampton (1992; Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., New York), 241.</ref>{{sfn|Drennan|2007|p=160}} </blockquote>The new complex was mostly identical to the original building{{sfn|Secrest|1992|p=222}} and was constructed on the ruins of Taliesin I.{{Sfn|McCarter|1997|page=120}} Similarly to the original complex, Taliesin II was arranged around a set of terraces and courtyards.<ref name="p862751855">{{Cite magazine |last=Buono |first=Jon |date=Apr-Jun 2011 |title=Modern Architecture and the U.S. Campus Heritage Movement |work=Planning for Higher Education |page=88-102 |volume=39 |issue=3 |id={{pq|862751855}}}}</ref> The dam (which burst less than a week after the murders) was rebuilt.{{sfn|Secrest|1992|p=222}} Wright added an observation platform, perhaps inspired by the one he designed in [[Baraboo, Wisconsin|Baraboo]].{{sfn|Henning|2011|p=68}} Later, he built a hydroelectric generator in an unsuccessful effort to make Taliesin completely self-sufficient. The generator was built in the style of a Japanese temple. Within only a few years, parts of the structure eroded away. It was demolished in the 1940s.{{sfn|Henning|2011|pp=70–72}}
 
Around Christmas time of 1914, while designing the residence after the first devastating fire, Wright received a sympathetic letter from [[Miriam Noel|"Maude" Miriam Noel]], who contacted him after reading about the Taliesin fire and murders.<ref>Finis Farr. ''Frank Lloyd Wright: A Biography''. (1961; Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 147).</ref> Wright exchanged correspondence with the wealthy divorcee and met with her at his Chicago office. Wright was quickly infatuated, and the two began a relationship. By spring 1915, Taliesin II was completed and Noel moved there with Wright. Wright's first wife Catherine finally granted him a [[divorce]] in 1922,{{sfn|Secrest|1992|p=271}} meaning that Wright could marry Noel a year later.{{sfn|Secrest|1992|p=279}} Although Wright admired Noel's erratic personality at first, her behavior (later identified as [[schizophrenia]]) led to a miserable life together at Taliesin.{{sfn|Huxtable|2004|p=142}} Noel left Wright by the spring of 1924.{{sfn|Secrest|1992|p=280}}
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=== Architecture and layout ===
The modern-day Taliesin property is at 5481 County Road C in [[Wyoming, Iowa County, Wisconsin]].<ref name="n160100586">{{Cite news |last=Adams |first=Barry |date=2011-01-10 |title=Taliesin to mark its 100th year |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/portage-daily-register-taliesin-to-mark/160100586/ |access-date=2024-12-01 |work=Portage Daily Register |pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/portage-daily-register-taliesin-to-mark/160100634/ 13]}}</ref> All Wright buildings on the property have a combined {{convert|75000|sqft}}, just short of {{convert|2|acre}}, on {{convert|600|acre}} of land.<ref name="FAQ">{{cite web |title=Frank Lloyd Wright FAQs |url=http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/frank-lloyd-wright/fllw-faq |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017210344/http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/frank-lloyd-wright/fllw-faq |archive-date=October 17, 2013 |access-date=October 17, 2013 |publisher=Taliesin Preservation, Inc.}}</ref> Through Wright's lifetime, he and his apprentices continued to make changes to Taliesin III. but these modifications were never reflected in blueprints.<ref name="Saemann 2000">{{Cite news |last=Saemann |first=Karyn |date=August 17, 2000 |title=Wright's studio made right |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-wrights-studio-made-r/159926866/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |pages=1B, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-wrights-studio-made-r/159926897/ 4B]}}</ref> Construction was handled mostly by Wright's apprentices, who tended to be inexperienced, leaving cracks and gaps throughout the structure.<ref name="Martell 2008" /><ref name="Chicago Tribune 2002 b827">{{cite web |date=March 31, 2002 |title=The trouble with Taliesin |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/03/31/the-trouble-with-taliesin/ |access-date=November 29, 2024 |website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> Wright added several dams across the estate to create lakes.{{Sfn|McCarter|1997|page=123}} The presence of Taliesin also influenced the architecture of public buildings in the nearby town of [[Spring Green, Wisconsin|Spring Green]], which contain details influenced by Wright's designs.<ref name="n160100586" />
 
==== Main home ====
In its final form, the Taliesin III building measuredmeasures {{convert|37000|sqft}}.<ref name="n160100586" /><ref name="FAQ" /><ref name="Kodrich 1988">{{Cite news |last=Kodrich |first=Kris |date=July 11, 1988 |title=Taliesin showing its age |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-taliesin-showing/159885091/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=9}}</ref> The current structure is the northernmost building in the complex and is arranged in the shape of the letter "U", facing south-southwest.{{sfn|National Park Service|1972|page=2}} In contrast to Wright's later work—which tended to incorporate curved forms—Taliesin III largely incorporates rectangular shapes in its design.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Albanese |first=Ellen |date=August 3, 2005 |title=Tale of Two Unique Houses Defines One Wisconsin Town |work=Boston Globe |page=F.7 |id={{Pq|404964253}}}}</ref> Surrounding the main house are fountains, gardens, and courtyards.,{{Sfn|McCarter|1997|page=123}}<ref name="Potts 2001">{{Cite news |last=Potts |first=Jeff |date=July 1, 2001 |title=Taliesin Wright's prototypical work |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wausau-daily-herald-taliesin-wrights-pr/159925902/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=Wausau Daily Herald |pages=33}}</ref> in a similar manner to the first two complexes.<ref name="p862751855" /> The house is accessed from a driveway that wraps around the hill, leading to the main courtyard. Water from one of the estate's lakes is pumped upward into the courtyard, supplying the pools there; the courtyard also contains oak trees and a perimeter wall made of rock.{{Sfn|McCarter|1997|page=123}} One magazine wrote that the house "emerges from the hillside like a natural outcropping, rooted in the earth".<ref name="Legler 2001" />
 
Wright's apprentices were responsible for much of the construction; they used recycled materials, as well as then-uncommon materials such as [[plywood]], to construct much of the building.<ref name="The Reporter 2004" /> The facade is clad with limestone from the surrounding area.{{sfn|National Park Service|1972|page=2}}<ref name="Legler 2001">{{Cite magazine |last=Legler |first=Dixie |date=May 2001 |title=On the trail of Frank Lloyd Wright |work=Better Homes and Gardens |pages=258C-258D |volume=79 |issue=5 |id={{pq|205353877}}}}</ref> Wright mixed stucco with Wisconsin River sand to turn the walls into a yellowish color.<ref name="Stone 2008">{{Cite magazine |last=Stone |first=Emily |date=June 23, 2008 |title=Wright's 'shining brow' |work=Crain's Chicago Business |page=20 |volume=31 |issue=25 |id={{Pq|198405256}}}}</ref> The house is topped by intersecting hipped roofs with masonry chimneys.{{sfn|National Park Service|1972|page=2}}<ref name="Smiley 1993">{{cite web |last=Smiley |first=Jane |date=March 7, 1993 |title=Wisconsin: Three Visions Attained |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/07/magazine/wisconsin-three-visions-attained.html |access-date=November 28, 2024 |website=The New York Times |archive-date=November 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118125055/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/07/magazine/wisconsin-three-visions-attained.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The house's service wing, which wraps around one side of the hill, is the only part of the house that rise above the hill.{{Sfn|McCarter|1997|page=123}}
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==== Other structures ====
The [[Hillside Home School II|Hillside Home School]], the southernmost building in the complex,{{sfn|National Park Service|1972|page=2}} is designed in the [[Prairie School|Prairie Style]].{{sfn|McCrea|2012|p=35}}<ref name="Kuhl 1991" /> It has a {{convert|5000|ft2|adj=on}} apprentices' drafting room.<ref name="Potts 2001" /> In addition, the Hillside Home School contains a theater, constructed in 1933 and rebuilt after a fire in 1952;<ref name="Fixsen 2024">{{cite web |last=Fixsen |first=Anna |date=June 14, 2024 |title=A 'Mona Lisa' of Frank Lloyd Wright Design Is Back in Business |url=https://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/a61100937/frank-lloyd-wright-hillside-theater-taliesin/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |website=ELLE Decor |archive-date=June 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614173645/https://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/a61100937/frank-lloyd-wright-hillside-theater-taliesin/ |url-status=live}}</ref> the theater has a capacity ofwith 100 seats.<ref name="McLaughlin 2024">{{Cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Katherine |date=June 10, 2024 |title=An Iconic Frank Lloyd Wright Theater Reopens Following a $1.1 Million Restoration Project |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/an-iconic-frank-lloyd-wright-theater-reopens |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240611210946/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/an-iconic-frank-lloyd-wright-theater-reopens |archive-date=June 11, 2024 |access-date=June 12, 2024 |work=Architectural Digest |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Adams 2024">{{cite web |last=Adams |first=Barry |date=May 30, 2024 |title=After 6-year wait, Frank Lloyd Wright's 100-seat theater at Taliesin set to reopen |url=https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/art-theater/taliesin-theater-frank-lloyd-wright-spring-green/article_c6f3b308-1975-11ef-b73f-bfb164cfb06e.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240902174309/https://madison.com/life-entertainment/local/art-theater/taliesin-theater-frank-lloyd-wright-spring-green/article_c6f3b308-1975-11ef-b73f-bfb164cfb06e.html |archive-date=September 2, 2024 |access-date=November 27, 2024 |website=Wisconsin State Journal}}</ref> The modern Taliesin complex also includes the Midway Farm,{{sfn|National Park Service|1972|page=2}}<ref name="Kuhl 1991" /> constructed between 1938 and 1947.{{sfn|National Park Service|1972|page=2}}<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8FRIAQAAIAAJ |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly |publisher=Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation |year=2007 |page=6 |access-date=November 28, 2024 |issue=v. 18}}</ref> Though the site is no longer used as a farm, several of the Midway Farm buildings still exist, including a stone milk house, the [[Midway Barn]], and several wooden structures.{{sfn|National Park Service|1972|page=2}} Wright's sister's house, [[Tan-y-Deri]], is located up the hill from Midway Farm. Next to Tan-y-Deri is the octagonal [[Romeo and Juliet Windmill]], a wooden structure measuring {{Convert|60|ft}} high.{{sfn|National Park Service|1972|page=3}} In addition, the Taliesin Dam is located near the complex's entrance driveway, and there are various other houses across the grounds.{{sfn|National Park Service|1972|page=3}} Nearby is the [[Unity Chapel]],<ref name="Welchman x410" /> where Wright would later be buried.<ref name="Conroy r586">{{cite web |last=Conroy |first=Sarah Booth |date=April 9, 1985 |title=Wright's Grave Site Moved |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/04/09/wrights-grave-site-moved/510f9f85-3224-415a-a990-1016de77bee8/ |access-date=November 29, 2024 |website=The Washington Post |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108194522/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/04/09/wrights-grave-site-moved/510f9f85-3224-415a-a990-1016de77bee8/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Peterson n296">{{cite web |last=Peterson |first=Iver |date=April 10, 1985 |title=Reburial of Frank Lloyd Wright Touches Off a Stormy Debate |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/10/us/reburial-of-frank-lloyd-wright-touches-off-a-stormy-debate.html |access-date=November 29, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>
 
===Taliesin Fellowship===
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==Preservation==
In 1940, Frank Lloyd Wright, his third wife [[Olgivanna Lloyd Wright|Olgivanna]], and his son-in-law [[William Wesley Peters]] formed the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.<ref name="Van Goethem 1967" /> Wright added a third story above the second-story bedrooms and first-story living spaces in 1943, though this ended up weakening the original house's frame.<ref name="Johnson 2008" /><ref name="Martell 2008" /> The Hillside School building caught fire in April 1952,<ref name="Hesselberg g050">{{cite web |last=Hesselberg |first=George |date=November 22, 2024 |title=Collection of Frank Lloyd Wright's estate photos will stay together in sale to historical society |url=https://madison.com/entertainment/arts_and_theatre/collection-of-frank-lloyd-wrights-estate-photos-will-stay-together-in-sale-to-historical-society/article_4d8d2ef2-468b-11e0-b5bd-001cc4c03286.html |access-date=December 1, 2024 |website=Wisconsin State Journal}}</ref><ref name="NYT 1952 i423">{{cite web |date=April 27, 1952 |title=Architecture Site Burns; Grass Fire Shifts to Wisconsin School of Frank Lloyd Wright |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/04/27/archives/architecture-site-burns-grass-fire-shifts-to-wisconsin-school-of.html |access-date=December 1, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref> and the theater and dining room in that building were subsequently rebuilt.<ref name="Hesselberg g050" /><ref name="Fixsen 2024">{{cite web |last=Fixsen |first=Anna |date=June 14, 2024 |title=A 'Mona Lisa' of Frank Lloyd Wright Design Is Back in Business |url=https://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/a61100937/frank-lloyd-wright-hillside-theater-taliesin/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614173645/https://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/a61100937/frank-lloyd-wright-hillside-theater-taliesin/ |archive-date=June 14, 2024 |access-date=November 28, 2024 |website=ELLE Decor}}</ref> Upon Wright's death on April 9, 1959, ownershiphe was buried next to the Unity Chapel in the Lloyd-Jones cemetery near Taliesin; his body remained there until 1985, when it was moved to Taliesin West.<ref name="Conroy r5862">{{cite web |last=Conroy |first=Sarah Booth |date=April 9, 1985 |title=Wright's Grave Site Moved |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1985/04/09/wrights-grave-site-moved/510f9f85-3224-415a-a990-1016de77bee8/ |access-date=November 29, 2024 |website=Washington Post}}</ref> Ownership of the Taliesin estate in Spring Green, as well as Taliesin West, was conveyed to the foundation. The Taliesin Fellowship continued to use the Hillside School as The School of Architecture at Taliesin. The fellowship allowed tours of the school, but initially did not permit visitation of the house or other grounds.<ref name="Van Goethem 1967">{{cite news |last=Van Goethem |first=Larry |title=Taliesin East – a Living Symbol of Frank Lloyd Wright's Philosophy |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1183161// |work=[[Janesville Daily Gazette]] |date=July 15, 1967 |access-date=August 14, 2014 |page=1 |archive-date=November 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109104728/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1183161/janesville-daily-gazette/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
 
When the group spent two summers in [[Switzerland]], rumors started that they were planning on selling the house to [[S. C. Johnson]], a former Wright client. Instead, the fellowship sold a surrounding piece of land to a developer associated with the company, intending to develop a tourist complex.<ref name="Van Goethem 1967"/> The {{convert|3000|acre|adj=on}} resort included an eighteen-hole golf course, restaurant, and a visitor center.<ref>{{cite news |title=Spring Green Recreational Plan Unveiled |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1183166/ |work=[[The Daily Telegram]] |agency=[[United Press International]] |date=July 18, 1966 |access-date=August 14, 2014 |page=11 |archive-date=November 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109104730/https://www.newspapers.com/missing.php |url-status=live}}</ref>
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By the late 20th century, Taliesin had become dilapidated in spite of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation's efforts to maintain it. With the NHL designation, the organization had received $300,000 in federal funds to help maintain the property.<ref name="Gould 1980" /><ref name="Klein 1982" /> However, the organization needed another $2.5 million to rehabilitate the estate by the early 1980s.<ref name="Klein 1982" /> At the time, the organization barely had enough money for regular maintenance of Taliesin and Taliesin West, let alone long-term repairs.<ref name="Klein 1982" /><ref name="The Reporter 1987" /> Furthermore, the house had been damaged during an electrical fire in 1975.<ref name="Gould 1980" /> Some parts of the property, such as the Romeo and Juliet Windmill, were in even worse condition than the main house.<ref name="Gould 1980" /><ref name="The Reporter 1987" />
 
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation conducted some repairs to the building in the 1980s. These included injecting concrete into the soil to prevent the house's [[Foundation (engineering)|foundation]] from [[settling]], re-plastering the walls, adding a foam covering to the roof, and insulating the ceilings.<ref name="Gould 1980" /> Though the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation still occupied the estate seasonally, Taliesin was closed to the public.<ref name="Welchman x410" /> In 1983, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation began selling off the contents of Wright's archives to raise money for a $20 million [[endowment fund]] to restore the estate.<ref name="Goldberger h407">{{cite web |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=September 11, 1983 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright is Clearly the Man of the Year |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/11/arts/frank-lloyd-wright-is-clearly-the-man-of-the-year.html |access-date=November 29, 2024 |website=The New York Times |archive-date=August 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811193547/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/11/arts/frank-lloyd-wright-is-clearly-the-man-of-the-year.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Gould 1983">{{Cite news |last=Gould |first=Whitney |date=September 30, 1983 |title=Scholarship, preservation vie over sale of Wright drawings |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-scholarship-preservat/159968854/ |access-date=November 29, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |pages=35, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-scholarship-preservat/159968910/ 37]}}</ref> These sales were controversial, with opponents objecting to the dispersal of Wright's documents.<ref name="Gould 1983" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=September 14, 1983 |title=Scholars Question Sale of Wright Drawings |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/14/arts/scholars-question-sale-of-wright-drawings.html |access-date=November 29, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref> During that time, all the buildings except for the Hillside Home School were typically closed to the public.<ref name="Kodrich 1988" />
 
In 1987, the [[National Park Service]] evaluated the 1,811 NHLs nationwide for historical integrity and threat of damage.<ref>{{citation |title=Damaged and Threatened National Historic Landmarks, 1987 |year=1987 |url=https://archive.org/details/damagedthreatene001987 |access-date=October 18, 2013 |publisher=[[National Park Service]]}}</ref> Taliesin was declared a "Priority 1" NHL, a site that is "seriously damaged or imminently with such damage".<ref name="Chicago Tribune 2002 b827" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Preservation |url=http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/preservation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018005616/http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/preservation |archive-date=October 18, 2013 |access-date=October 18, 2013 |publisher=Taliesin Preservation, Inc.}}</ref> The main building was in poor shape, with cracking plaster, sinking foundations, and rotting wood.<ref name="Kodrich 1988" /> Some of the wooden floors had warped, and the birdwalk had developed a large crack.<ref name="The Reporter 1987" /> The other buildings at Taliesin were in similarly poor condition, having weathered over the years.<ref name="Kodrich 1988" /><ref name="Civil Engineering 1993">{{Cite magazine |date=Oct 1993 |title=Taliesin rehab would make Wright proud |work=Civil Engineering |page=12 |volume=63 |issue=10 |id={{Pq|228413814}}}}</ref> There was no heating system, and many parts of the building complex were exposed to moisture and extreme heat.<ref name="The Reporter 2004" /><ref name="Treleven 1999">{{Cite news |last=Treleven |first=Ed |date=May 19, 1999 |title=U.S. grant will hasten Taliesin restoration |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-us-grant-will/159919656/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=21}}</ref> All the buildings except for the Hillside Home School were typically closed to the public.<ref name="Kodrich 1988" /> The [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]] also listed the site as one of [[America's Most Endangered Places]]<ref name="Bromley 2002">{{Cite news |last=Bromley |first=Ben |date=November 23, 2002 |title=Taliesin Turbulence |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/portage-daily-register-taliesin-turbulen/159927234/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=Portage Daily Register |pages=B1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/portage-daily-register-taliesin-turbulen/159927269/ B3]}}</ref> due to "water damage, erosion, foundation settlement and wood decay".<ref>{{cite web |title=11 Most Endangered Historic Places: Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin |url=http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/11-most-endangered/locations/frank-lloyd-wrights-taliesin.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019164040/http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/11-most-endangered/locations/frank-lloyd-wrights-taliesin.html#.UmGcsRCojs4 |archive-date=October 19, 2013 |access-date=October 18, 2013}}</ref> Many of these structural issues were attributed to the haphazard, experimental nature of Taliesin's construction, which had been described as resembling a "stage set".<ref name="Campbell 2003" /><ref name="Martell 2008" /> [[Richard Carney]], who led the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, estimated that Taliesin needed $10–20 million in repairs.<ref name="n160097957">{{Cite news |last=Kodrich |first=Kris |date=1987-10-18 |title=Taliesin West: Aspiring Architects Tough It Out at Wright's Oasis |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-taliesin-west-a/160097957/ |access-date=2024-12-01 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=89, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-taliesin-west-a/160097999/ 94]}}</ref>
==== 1990s: Initial work ====
[[File:Riverview Terrace Restaurant Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center.jpg|thumb|Wright's [[Riverview Terrace Restaurant]] (1953), used as a visitor center by TPI since 1993<ref name=FAQ/>]]
Wisconsin governor [[Tommy Thompson]] appointed a commission in 1988 to prepare plans for preserving and operating Taliesin;<ref name="Kodrich 1988" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mell |first=Doug |date=June 28, 1988 |title=Panel to decide Taliesin's future |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-panel-to-decide/159883404/ |access-date=November 27, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 27, 1988 |title=Taliesin in need of repairs |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-post-crescent-taliesin-in-need-of-re/159883422/ |access-date=November 27, 2024 |work=The Post-Crescent |pages=2}}</ref> the commission estimated that it would cost $14.7 million to repair the complex.<ref name="Lynch 1990">{{Cite news |last=Lynch |first=Kevin |date=August 30, 1990 |title=Taliesin |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-taliesin/159883110/ |access-date=November 27, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |pages=1F, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-taliesin/159883167/ 6F]}}</ref> Thompson established Taliesin Preservation, Inc. (TPI), a non-profit organization, in 1990 to restore Taliesin.<ref name="Lynch 1990" /> The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation retained ownership of the complex, working with TPI to preserve the property.<ref name="n160101709" /> TPI received $150,000 from the state government, a $50,000 [[matching grant]] from the [[J. Paul Getty Trust]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 29, 1990 |title=Taliesin gets $50,000 toward fix-up |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-taliesin-gets-5/159883060/ |access-date=November 27, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=19}}</ref> and a $100,000 grant from the [[Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 20, 1992 |title=Grants helps Taliesin project |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/baraboo-news-republic-grants-helps-talie/159882406/ |access-date=November 27, 2024 |work=Baraboo News Republic |pages=35}}</ref> The Taliesin complex began hosting tours in mid-1992.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zell |first=Fran |date=August 23, 1992 |title=A rare look at Wright Taliesin, the architect's former home in Wisconsin, finally opens its doors to public tours |work=Chicago Tribune |page=10 |issn=1085-6706 |id={{ProQuest|283373437}}}}</ref> Thompson suggested in late 1992 that the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) fund the house's restoration with an $8 million bond issue. Thompson estimated that the complex could attract up to 150,000 visitors annually, generating more than $10 million in tourist spending in Wisconsin.<ref name="Broadway 1991">{{Cite news |last=Broadway |first=Joel |date=October 26, 1991 |title=Taliesin home repair |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-taliesin-home-re/159888112/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 26, 1991 |title=Wright project set 50 years later |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-times-wright-project-set-50/159888235/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=The Journal Times |page=5}}</ref> WHEDA approved a loan for the complex later the same year.<ref name="Massey 1993a">{{Cite news |last=Massey |first=Jim |date=November 15, 1993 |title=$24 million would restore home of master architect |work=Milwaukee Journal |page=B8 |id={{pq|333592868}}}}</ref><ref name="Broadway 1994">{{Cite news |last=Broadway |first=Joel |date=June 2, 1994 |title=Loan and donations help preserve Taliesin's past |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-loan-and-donatio/159891162/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=2}}</ref> In addition, TPI suggested spending $3.8 million on a visitor center.<ref name="Broadway 1991" /> TPI's executive director Robert Burley drew up plans for Taliesin's restoration.<ref name="Massey 1993" /> By the mid-1990s, the renovation was expected to cost an estimated $24 million.<ref name="Massey 1993">{{Cite news |last=Massey |first=Jim |date=November 17, 1993 |title=Taliesin restoration project to save Wright's experiments |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-country-today-taliesin-restoration-p/159880222/ |access-date=November 27, 2024 |work=The Country Today |pages=23}}</ref><ref name="Gould 1995">{{Cite news |last=Gould |first=Whitney |date=October 15, 1995 |title=Preserving a treasure: Taliesin restoration keeps Wright's spirit alive |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |page=1 |id={{pq|260284857}}}}</ref> Early restoration work included repairs to the foundation, remediation of fire hazards, and emergency repairs to other parts of the house.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Novak |first=Bill |date=November 28, 2001 |title=Taliesin fix-up a labor of love |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-taliesin-fix-up-a-labo/159926708/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |pages=2}}</ref>
 
Early restoration work included repairs to the foundation, remediation of fire hazards, and emergency repairs to other parts of the house.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Novak |first=Bill |date=November 28, 2001 |title=Taliesin fix-up a labor of love |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-taliesin-fix-up-a-labo/159926708/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |pages=2}}</ref> U.S. senator [[Herb Kohl]] introduced a bill in July 1993 to provide another $8 million for Taliesin's restoration.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hawkins |first=Hillari |date=July 30, 1993 |title=Bill seeks Taliesin money |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-bill-seeks-talie/159880443/ |access-date=November 27, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=18}}</ref><ref name="Lucchetti 1994">{{Cite news |last=Lucchetti |first=Aaron |date=January 30, 1994 |title=Federal role debated, though |work=Milwaukee Journal |page=A1 |id={{PQ|333660110}}}}</ref> Kohl and U.S. representative [[Scott Klug]] also cosponsored legislation to convert Taliesin into a National Park Service site, though the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation would have continued to own the complex.<ref name="Lucchetti 1994" /> TPI also sought to raise the final $8 million for the restoration from donations.<ref name="Massey 1993a" /><ref name="Broadway 1994" /> The first part of Taliesin to be restored, the terrace outside Wright's bedroom and study, was finished that October.<ref name="Civil Engineering 1993" /> Workers also shored up parts of the complex that were in danger of collapsing.<ref name="Gould 1995" /> The same year, due to the deterioration of the Taliesin Dam, Wisconsin officials asked the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to either repair or abandon it.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Broadway |first=Joel |date=April 10, 1993 |title=DNR: No danger but Taliesin dam must be repaired or abandoned |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-dnr-no-danger-b/159882574/ |access-date=November 27, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=1}}</ref> TPI also bought the Wright–designed [[Riverview Terrace Restaurant]] nearby and converted it into a visitor center.<ref name="Stephens 1993">{{cite web |last=Stephens |first=Suzanne |date=February 18, 1993 |title=Currents; A Visitors' Center by Wright Himself |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/18/garden/currents-a-visitors-center-by-wright-himself.html |access-date=November 28, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name="Goldberger 1994">{{cite web |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=June 2, 1994 |title=Wright's Own Home: A Lifelong Work in Progress |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/02/garden/wright-s-own-home-a-lifelong-work-in-progress.html |access-date=November 27, 2024 |website=The New York Times |archive-date=May 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526100412/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/02/garden/wright-s-own-home-a-lifelong-work-in-progress.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The commission held an [[architectural design competition]] for the visitor center, and it selected Tony Puttnam to redesign the structure,<ref name="Stephens 1993" /> which opened in June 1994.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bechtel |first=George H. |date=June 2, 1994 |title=Stories Live in Wright Family Cemetery |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal/117137497/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=39}}</ref> By then, TPI had raised $1 million from donations.<ref name="Broadway 1994" /> Work continued on Taliesin's restoration during the 1990s, even while it was open to visitors.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Varkonyi |first=Charlyne |date=September 1, 1996 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright's estate open to tours |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wausau-daily-herald-frank-lloyd-wrights/159891381/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=Wausau Daily Herald |pages=41}}</ref>
 
Following a severe storm on June 18, 1998, a large oak tree in the courtyard fell down on top of the house.<ref name="O'Connor 1998">{{Cite magazine |last=O'Connor |first=Michael J.  |date=Aug 1998 |title=The Plagues of Taliesin |work=Architecture: The AIA Journal |page=22 |volume=87 |issue=8 |id={{Pq|227765568}}}}</ref><ref name="Gould 1999">{{Cite news |last=Gould |first=Whitney |date=March 22, 1999 |title=The Wright Thing to Do |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/saint-john-times-globe-the-wright-thing/159891722/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=Saint John Times Globe |pages=12}}</ref><ref name="Louie b2701">{{cite web |last=Louie |first=Elaine |date=July 9, 1998 |title=Currents: Taliesin Damaged; From Fallingwater to Falling Oak |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/09/garden/currents-taliesin-damaged-from-fallingwater-to-falling-oak.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527080105/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/09/garden/currents-taliesin-damaged-from-fallingwater-to-falling-oak.html |archive-date=May 27, 2015 |access-date=November 28, 2024 |website=The New York Times |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Saemann |first=Karyn |date=June 23, 1998 |title=Taliesin, damaged again, girds for another renewal |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-taliesin-damaged-agai/159919146/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-taliesin/159918677/ 9]}}</ref> The tree had been the last survivor of three that Wright had planted there in 1911,<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 21, 1998 |title=Last of oak trees at Frank Lloyd Wright house falls |work=Las Vegas Review – Journal |page=8A |agency=Associated Press |id={{PQ|260072975}}}}</ref> and its collapse caused $1 million in damage.<ref name="Louie b2701" /> Ten days afterward, heavy rains caused a [[mudslide]] near the main building,<ref name="O'Connor 1998" /><ref name="The Oshkosh Northwestern 1999">{{Cite news |date=May 31, 1999 |title=Campaign aims to help raise funds for Taliesin |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-oshkosh-northwestern-campaign-aims-t/159919291/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=The Oshkosh Northwestern |pages=21}}</ref> exposing a structural support underneath a balcony.<ref name="O'Connor 1998" /> Following these incidents, workers made emergency repairs to the house and repaired damaged interiors and windows.<ref name="Gould 1999" /> By the late 1990s, the complex had about 50,000 visitors per year, far fewer than the 200,000 annual visitors TPI had anticipated. Additionally, TPI earned only about $1 million a year from tourism, which was not enough to repay the WHEDA loan, and TPI missed a $6.5 million payment on the loan in January 1999.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 5, 1999 |title=Taliesin Behind on Loan Payment Wright's Estate Isn't Attracting as Many Tourists as Was Expected |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-taliesin-behind/159919545/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |page=1C |id={{pq|391086862}} |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> The Wisconsin government ended up forgiving most of the loan. That May, the federal government agreed to give Taliesin a $1.15 million matching grant from [[Save America's Treasures]] on the condition that TPI raise an equal amount.<ref name="Treleven 1999" /><ref name="The Oshkosh Northwestern 1999" /><ref name="Saemann 1999">{{Cite news |last=Saemann |first=Karyn |date=May 26, 1999 |title=Saving Taliesin Execs Gather for Major Restoration Push |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-saving-taliesin-execs/159919840/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-saving-taliesin-execs/159919876/ 12] |id={{Pq|395141099}}}}</ref> This funding would be used for interior restoration and drainage repairs.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 23, 1999 |title=Taliesin to use grant to fix drainage flaws $1.1 million from federal government to help at aging Wright estate |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |page=3 |id={{pq|260910962}}}}</ref> The same year, TPI began soliciting donations to restore the grounds as part of the Trees for Taliesin program,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Treleven |first=Ed |date=March 31, 1999 |title=Restoration to Begin at Taliesin |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-restoration-to-b/159893466/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=17}}</ref> and publishing executive Frank Anton announced plans to raise $25 million for the renovation through the Taliesin Restoration Project.<ref name="The Oshkosh Northwestern 1999" /><ref name="Saemann 1999" /> At the time, there were plans to repair the studio wing and Tan-y-Deri.<ref name="Saemann 1999" /> Another storm in late 1999 collapsed a tunnel underneath the studio wing.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gould |first=Whitney |date=October 15, 1999 |title=Rebuilding the Wright house |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salina-journal/1183171/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=The Salina Journal |pages=4 |archive-date=October 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017042825/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salina-journal/1183171/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
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According to the ''[[Wisconsin State Journal]]'', Taliesin's preservation was "fraught with epic difficulties", because Wright never thought of it as a series of buildings with a long-term future.<ref name="Martell 2008" /> The studio wing's restoration was completed in August 2000 at a cost of $400,000, three-fourths of which was covered from insurance payouts; private donors paid the rest of the cost.<ref name="Saemann 2000" /> By 2002, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation estimated that it might cost up to $60 million to refurbish the Taliesin complex.<ref name="The Sheboygan Press 2002" /> At the time, workers were about to stabilize the hill under the house,<ref name="The Sheboygan Press 2002">{{Cite news |date=November 11, 2002 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright's home deteriorating |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sheboygan-press-frank-lloyd-wrights/159926222/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=The Sheboygan Press |pages=3 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref name="Auer 2002">{{Cite news |last=Auer |first=James |date=December 29, 2002 |title=Wright's grand house at risk ; Taliesin: In Spring Green, Wis., a house that stands for the great American architect the way Monticello stands for Thomas Jefferson, says a Harvard professor, is crumbling. |work=The Baltimore Sun |page=8L |issn=1930-8965 |id={{pq|406537968}}}}</ref> as the hillside was causing Taliesin's walls to slant and its walkways to crack.<ref name="Chicago Tribune 2002 b827" /><ref name="Auer 2002" /> To prevent further water damage, [[tarpaulin]]s had been placed on the ground as an emergency measure.<ref name="Chicago Tribune 2002 b827" /> TPI had issues raising money due to a weakening of the local economy,<ref name="Bromley 2002" /><ref name="Auer 2002" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Millionis |first=Allison |date=Sep 2005 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation slowly recovering from difficult times |work=Architectural Record |page=40 |volume=193 |issue=9 |id={{pq|222105848}}}}</ref> and many of the complex's structural issues were not readily visible to the public, posing further fundraising difficulties.<ref name="Bromley 2002" /> Preservationists predicted that the estate would be irreversibly damaged if it were not repaired within five to ten years.<ref name="Chicago Tribune 2002 b827" />
 
A $900,000 project to improve Taliesin's drainage system was completed in 2004.<ref name="Wisconsin State Journal 2005" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Nathans |first=Aaron |date=May 26, 2004 |title=Taliesin high and dry after revamp |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-taliesin-high-and-dry/159938408/ |access-date=November 29, 2024 |work=The Capital Times |pages=1C, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-capital-times-taliesin-high-and-dry/159938440/ 12C]}}</ref> The cost of the restoration had increased to $67 million by 2005, of which the main house alone was estimated to cost $26 million.<ref name="McCrea 2005">{{Cite news |last=McCrea |first=Ron |date=April 4, 2005 |title=Wright Way ; Taliesin Restorers Ride Out Foundation's Storm |work=The Capital Times |page=1A |id={{pq|395303950}}}}</ref> The same year, businessman [[T. Denny Sanford]] donated $425,000 for Taliesin's restoration. These funds, which were matched by part of the Save America's Treasures grant, were used to pay for further repairs to the roof, as well as planning for future repairs.<ref name="Wisconsin State Journal 2005">{{Cite news |date=June 26, 2005 |title=Banker Gives $425,000 for Taliesin; It's the Biggest Cash Donation the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Has Ever Received |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-banker-gives-42/159938503/ |access-date=November 28, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |page=D13 |id={{Pq|391384258}} |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> There were also plans to replace a bridge carrying Taliesin's driveway across a creek.<ref name="McCrea 2005" /> In 2006, the [[Jeffris Family Foundation]] agreed to fund 25% of Tan-y-deriDeri's restoration, which at the time was estimated to cost $828,000.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Morgan |first=Terry |date=November 26, 2006 |title=Wright's Tan-y-deri slated for rehab |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-wrights-tan-y-d/159939353/ |access-date=November 29, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=27}}</ref> Over $11&nbsp;million was spent on the rehabilitation of Taliesin between 1988 and 2008.<ref name="Martell 2008">{{cite news |last=Martell |first=Chris |date=December 8, 2008 |title=Taliesin Restoration Fraught with Epic Difficulties |url=http://www.madison.com/wsj/topstories/317388 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210053026/http://www.madison.com/wsj/topstories/317388 |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |access-date=October 18, 2013 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |id={{Pq|391548955}}}}</ref> Financing renovations was stull challenging because of lower-than expected attendance.<ref>{{cite news |title=Restoring Wright: The Difficult Task of Preserving Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin |url=http://www.economist.com/node/18276004?story_id=18276004&fsrc=rss |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=May 3, 2011 |access-date=August 14, 2014 |archive-date=August 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814232756/http://www.economist.com/node/18276004?story_id=18276004&fsrc=rss |url-status=live}}</ref> The ''Wisconsin State Journal'' reported in 2009 that, despite increased attendance over the preceding two years, TPI still needed to raise $50 million to restore the rest of the complex.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Antlfinger |first=Carrie |date=March 22, 2009 |title=Attendance Turns at Taliesins |via=Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-state-journal-attendance-turns/159966304/ |access-date=November 29, 2024 |work=Wisconsin State Journal |pages=13 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> TPI also began reinforcing the house's structure, which had been undermined by the weight of the third-story guestrooms.<ref name="Martell 2008" /> The [[World Monuments Fund]] (WMF) added Taliesin to its [[2010 World Monuments Watch]] to bring attention to the complex's remaining structural issues.<ref name="Fazzare g306">{{cite web |last=Fazzare |first=Elizabeth |date=October 9, 2013 |title=Culture at Risk: World Monuments Fund Watch List Includes Palisades, FLW's Taliesin |url=https://www.archpaper.com/2013/10/culture-at-risk-world-monuments-fund-watch-list-includes-palisades-fllws-taliesin/ |access-date=December 1, 2024 |website=The Architect’s Newspaper |archive-date=April 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421234317/https://www.archpaper.com/2013/10/culture-at-risk-world-monuments-fund-watch-list-includes-palisades-fllws-taliesin/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=August 15, 2016 |title=2010 World Monuments Watch Includes Sites From New Orleans to Bhutan |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/2010-world-monuments-watch-includes-sites-from-new-orleans-to-bhutan/ |access-date=December 1, 2024 |website=ArtsBeat}}</ref>
 
By the early 2010s, workers had begun repairing the house's foundation and lower level.<ref name="n160100586" /> The house was still open to the public, albeit only for guided tours;<ref name="Solomon w151">{{cite web |last=Solomon |first=Deborah |date=October 28, 2011 |title=Touring Wright Buildings in Wisconsin |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/travel/touring-wright-buildings-in-wisconsin.html |access-date=December 1, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref> there were eight separate kinds of tours because of Taliesin's wide-ranging history and scope.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-05-01 |title=Wright's Taliesin open for season |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reedsburg-times-press-wrights-talie/160111491/ |access-date=2024-12-01 |work=The Reedsburg Times-Press |pages=6}}</ref> To celebrate Taliesin's centennial, TPI hosted a series of events in 2011.<ref name="n160100586" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Anderson |first=Carla |date=May 1, 2011 |title=Taliesin House opens doors to Wright’s life |url=https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/entertainment/human-interest/2011/05/01/taliesin-house-opens-doors-to/21427429007/ |access-date=December 1, 2024 |website=Columbia Daily Tribune |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=McKnight |first=Jenna M. |date=April 22, 2011 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin Celebrates 100 Years |url=https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/2190-frank-lloyd-wright-s-taliesin-celebrates-100-years |access-date=December 1, 2024 |website=Architectural Record}}</ref> The complex remained in danger of deterioration, prompting the WMF to add Taliesin to its [[2014 World Monuments Watch]].<ref name="Fazzare g306" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-11-09 |title=Taliesin added to World Watch List |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/wisconsin-dells-events-taliesin-added-to/160110605/ |access-date=2024-12-01 |work=Wisconsin Dells Events |pages=14}}</ref> In the mid-2010s, preservationists also began restoring Taliesin's gardens to their 1959 appearance. This project included adding hollyhocks and rearranging orchards to Wright's original specifications.<ref>{{cite web |last=Peregoy |first=Beau |date=May 31, 2015 |title=Restoring the Gardens at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/frank-lloyd-wright-taliesin-garden-restoration |access-date=December 1, 2024 |website=Architectural Digest |archive-date=December 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201215231/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/frank-lloyd-wright-taliesin-garden-restoration |url-status=live }}</ref> Additionally, to attract visitors to Taliesin and other Wright–designed sites in Wisconsin, state legislators proposed giving money to the [[Wisconsin Department of Tourism]] for the installation of road signs promoting these sites.<ref name="p1694603462">{{Cite news |last=Strebel |first=Erika |date=2 July 2015 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright buildings could get more exposure |work=The Daily Reporter |id={{pq|1694603462}}}}</ref> Taliesin was subsequently included on the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail, which was established in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rackl |first=Lori |date=May 2, 2017 |title=Hitting the highlights on Wisconsin’s new 200-mile Frank Lloyd Wright trail |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2017/05/02/hitting-the-highlights-on-wisconsins-new-200-mile-frank-lloyd-wright-trail/ |access-date=December 3, 2024 |website=Chicago Tribune |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Lewis |first=Chelsey |date=May 12, 2017 |title=New 200-mile Frank Lloyd Wright Trail showcases the architect's diverse works in his home state |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/travel/wisconsin/day-out/2017/05/12/new-200-mile-frank-lloyd-wright-trail-showcases-architects-diverse-works-his-home-state/101461878/ |access-date=December 3, 2024 |website=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel}}</ref>
In June 2024, the 100-seat theater attached to the Hillside Home School building was reopened after a five-year, $1.1 million renovation.<ref name="Fixsen 2024" /><ref name="McLaughlin 2024" /><ref name="Adams 2024" /> Workers also restored Taliesin's Midway Barn in the 2020s.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hickman |first=Matt |date=August 16, 2022 |title=Major preservation work progresses at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and Taliesin West |url=https://www.archpaper.com/2022/08/preservation-work-progresses-frank-lloyd-wright-taliesin-taliesin-west/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519171419/https://www.archpaper.com/2022/08/preservation-work-progresses-frank-lloyd-wright-taliesin-taliesin-west/ |archive-date=May 19, 2024 |access-date=November 27, 2024 |website=The Architect's Newspaper}}</ref>
 
TPIIn provides2018, toursTaliesin fromreceived Maya 1$320,000 throughgrant Octoberfor 31the ofHillside eachtheater's year.<refrestoration name="Frankthrough Lloydthe Wright"Save /><refAmerica's name="JohnsonTreasures 2008"program; />the Otherproject visitationincluded opportunitiesimproving aredrainage, availableupgrading sporadicallymechanical throughsystems, theand restadding ofrooms to the yearbasement. This project was initially planned to cost $867,000 and take two years.<ref name="FrankAP Lloyd2018 Wrighty836">{{Citecite web |urldate=https://www.taliesinpreservation.org/October 7, 2018 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright's TaliesinWisconsin –theater Wisconsinto Attractionbe restored |url=https://apnews.com/general-news-d45cd7d47da74247b174b7d7c0f41f20 |access-date=AugustDecember 291, 20202024 |archive-datework=SeptemberAP 4, 2020News |archive-urlagency=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904120248/https://www.taliesinpreservation.org/Associated |url-status=livePress}}</ref> However, toursThe aretheater usuallydid not givenreopen fromuntil November2024, toand Aprilits becauserenovation Taliesinultimately hascost no$1.1 heatingmillion.<ref system;name="Fixsen Wright2024" had/><ref removedname="McLaughlin Taliesin's furnaces2024" after his Taliesin West complex was completed./><ref name="JohnsonAdams 20082024" /> {{AsWorkers of|2023}},also morerestored thanTaliesin's 25,000Midway peopleBarn visitin Taliesin eachthe year2020s.<ref name="Milan 2024">{{cite web |last=MilanHickman |first=KellyMatt |date=JanuaryAugust 616, 20242022 |title=TaliesinMajor beckonspreservation touristswork to learnprogresses aboutat Frank Lloyd Wright's legacyTaliesin and Taliesin West |url=https://spectrumnews1www.archpaper.com/wi2022/milwaukee08/news/2023/12/27/taliesinpreservation-beckons-wisconsinites-towork-embraceprogresses-frank-lloyd-wright-staliesin-legacy |accesstaliesin-date=November 28, 2024west/ |website=spectrumnews1.com |archiveurl-datestatus=November 28, 2024live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/2024112803072320240519171419/https://spectrumnews1www.archpaper.com/wi2022/milwaukee08/news/2023/12/27/taliesinpreservation-beckons-wisconsinites-towork-embraceprogresses-frank-lloyd-wright-staliesin-legacytaliesin-west/ |urlarchive-statusdate=liveMay 19, 2024 |access-date=November 27, 2024 |website=The Architect's Newspaper}}</ref>
 
=== Visitation ===
TPI provides tours from May 1 through October 31 of each year,<ref name="Johnson 2008" /><ref name="Frank Lloyd Wright" /> though weekend tours of the grounds are also available in April and November.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2014-03-22 |title=Taliesin lengthens tour season |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/baraboo-news-republic-taliesin-lengthens/160189498/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |work=Baraboo News Republic |pages=A3}}</ref> Other visitation opportunities are available sporadically through the rest of the year.<ref name="Frank Lloyd Wright">{{Cite web |url=https://www.taliesinpreservation.org/ |title=Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin – Wisconsin Attraction |access-date=August 29, 2020 |archive-date=September 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904120248/https://www.taliesinpreservation.org/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Tours of the house's interior are usually not given from November to April because Taliesin has no heating system; Wright had removed Taliesin's furnaces after his Taliesin West complex was completed.<ref name="Johnson 2008" /> In addition, visitors are not ordinarily allowed to stay at the complex overnight.<ref name="p1703877380">{{cite news |last=Teachout |first=Terry |date=14 Aug 2015 |title=Arena – Sightings: Staying in Frank Lloyd Wright's Guest Bedroom |work=The Wall Street Journal |page=D.7 |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|1703877380}}}}</ref> {{As of|2023}}, more than 25,000 people visit Taliesin each year.<ref name="Milan 2024">{{cite web |last=Milan |first=Kelly |date=January 6, 2024 |title=Taliesin beckons tourists to learn about Frank Lloyd Wright's legacy |url=https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2023/12/27/taliesin-beckons-wisconsinites-to-embrace-frank-lloyd-wright-s-legacy |access-date=November 28, 2024 |website=spectrumnews1.com |archive-date=November 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241128030723/https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2023/12/27/taliesin-beckons-wisconsinites-to-embrace-frank-lloyd-wright-s-legacy |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Wisconsin Historical Society]]'s collections include rare old photographs of Taliesin.<ref name="Holzhueter l032">{{cite journal |last=Holzhueter |first=John O. |year=2011 |title=Taliesin at 100 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/41549203 |journal=The Wisconsin Magazine of History |publisher=Wisconsin Historical Society |volume=95 |issue=2 |pages=52–53 |issn=00436534 |jstor=41549203 |id={{pq|921465439}} |access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref>
 
== Reception ==
Architectural historian [[James F. O'Gorman]] compares Taliesin to [[Thomas Jefferson]]'s [[Monticello]], calling it "not a mere building but an entire environment in which man, architecture and nature form a harmonious whole." He continues that the building is an expression of [[Romanticism]] influence in architecture.{{sfn|Barillas|2006|pp=48–49}} William Barillas, in an essay of the Prairie School movement, agrees with O'Gorman's assessment and calls Taliesin "the ultimate prairie house."{{sfn|Barillas|2006|pp=48–49}} ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' wrote in 1985 that, even though the Taliesin complex was not Wright's most elaborate or expensive design, they are still compelling statements about shelter and about nature".<ref>{{cite news |last=Posner |first=Ellen |date=February 5, 1985 |title=Selling Frank Lloyd Wright, the Wrong Way |work=The Wall Street Journal |page=1 |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|397882105}}}}</ref>
 
Robert Cross wrote for the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' in 2001 that "Everywhere—parlor, bedrooms, garden terraces—the eye falls on beauty. The outside comes in through the windows with gorgeous effect."<ref>{{cite news |last=Cross |first=Robert |date=September 23, 2001 |title=A trek to the shiny brow . . . ; Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin speaks of hubris, scandal and architectural genius |work=Chicago Tribune |page=8.1 |issn=1085-6706 |id={{ProQuest|419421746}}}}</ref> In a 2009 publication for the [[Thoreau Society]], Naomi Uechi notes thematic similarities between the architecture of Taliesin and the concept of simplicity advocated by philosopher [[Henry David Thoreau]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Uechi |first=Naomi |editor-last=Walls |editor-first=Laura Dassow |jstor=23395074 |journal=The Concord Saunterer |volume=17 |pages=73–98 |year=2009 |place=Concord, MA |title=Evolving Transcendentalism: Thoreauvian Simplicity in Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and Contemporary Ecological Architecture}}</ref> Architectural historian [[Neil Levine (art historian)|Neil Levine]] highlighted the [[abstract art|abstract]] nature of the complex, comparing it to the works of [[Pablo Picasso]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Levine |first=Neil |title=Abstraction and Representation in Modern Architecture: The International Style and Frank Lloyd Wright |jstor=29543489 |journal=AA Files |pages=3–21 |number=11 |date=Spring 1986}}</ref> In "House Proud", an article in [[The Boston Globe#Magazine|''Boston Globe Magazine'']] by the [[Pulitzer Prize]] winning–winning architecture critic [[Robert Campbell (journalist)|Robert Campbell]], Taliesin was described as "my candidate for the title of the greatest single building in America."<ref>''Boston Globe Magazine'', December 13, 1992.</ref> Another writer, in ''[[The New York Times]]'', said of Taliesin that "the key idea is horizontality", contrasting with the vertical design elements of skyscrapers that were being built at the same time.<ref name="Solomon w151" />
 
Several sources have described Taliesin as an embodiment of Wright and his architectural philosophy. In ''Taliesin 1911–1914'', a collection of essays about the first house, the authors and editor conclude that Taliesin was "Wright's architectural self-portrait."{{sfn|Menocal|1992|p=ix}} [[Paul Goldberger]], the architectural critic for ''[[The New York Times]]'', similarly wrote in 1994 that "there is no better way into the soul of Frank Lloyd Wright than to tour this house".<ref name="Goldberger 1994" /> The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' wrote the next year that the complex's design provided insight into "the career of a man who reinvented the language of architecture".<ref name="Gould 1995" /> TPI's president Carol McChesney Johnson said in 2011 that Taliesin "was a part of who he was", in contrast to other buildings that he designed but did not occupy.<ref name="n160100586" /> The following year, a writer for the [[Wisconsin Magazine of History|''Wisconsin Magazine of History'']] described Taliesin as "a quintessential example of how architectural history and biography can blend into a single entity".<ref name="Holzhueter l032" />
 
==See also==
Line 219 ⟶ 222:
 
==Further reading==
* William{{cite Allinbook |last=Storrer, ''|first=William Allin |title=The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion'', [[|date=2006 |publisher=University of Chicago Press]], IBN:|isbn=978-0-226-77621-27 |publication-place=Chicago}}
 
==External links==
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliesin_(studio)"