Frank Lloyd Wright and the Arizona Biltmore

The pre-cast concrete blocks for the Arizona Biltmore feature a geometric pattern said to represent a freshly cut palm tree.

Even though Frank Lloyd Wright didn’t actually design the Arizona Biltmore he certainly influenced it. The pre-cast concrete blocks, designed by the architect Albert Chase McArthur and sculpted by Emry Kopta, a prominent southwestern sculptor, were inspired by Wright’s use of indigenous materials.

Of course, Wright made his own splash in the desert not far from the Arizona Biltmore with Taliesin West. I’ve heard all the stories, of course. How Wright left his second wife and took up with a rich divorcee out here in the Arizona desert, which, at the time, was pretty much at the end of the earth.

They say he built Taliesin West as his winter home. I think he built it where he did because it was almost impossible to get to and a great place to hideout while he was trying to figure out his second—or perhaps third—act. I’m planning to go out there tomorrow to see for myself.