I’ve always wanted to follow the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail in Wisconsin and this past summer I was able to explore a couple of the stops on the trail. Wisconsin is where it all started for Frank Lloyd Wright and it’s great to hear the stories from local guides who can relay personal stories from their own families about the Wright family.
Monona Terrace – Madison
Monona Terrace, on Lake Monona in downtown Madison, was first designed and proposed by Wright in 1938. Construction did not begin until 1994 and the doors finally opened in 1997. The external design is Wright’s and the interior is designed by former Wright apprentice Anthony Puttnam.
I only had about an hour to wander around and did not get a chance to get inside.
Taliesin – Spring Green
This is the Holy Grail for Frank Lloyd Wright fans. Here you can choose from several different types of tours and likely spend a day or two easily. There are more than seven FLW buildings and 800 acres of beautiful properties.
Taliesin is still an active architecture school and they offer many programs and events as well. The Taliesin Preservation organization is working endlessly to preserve the history and physical structures for future generations.
I chose to take the 4-hour Estate Tour so I could cover the most ground in the time I had. Our guide was local, her mother used to have conversations with Mr. Wright in the local post office, it added so much to the tour to have this personal touch.
Some images from outdoors and around the grounds.
This is such a general overview of the property. You can read and see more about Taliesin at https://www.taliesinpreservation.org and if you ever get a chance to go I highly recommend the Estate Tour. There is so much history, family drama, scandal and of course architecture in the life of Frank Lloyd Wright that it’s difficult to include it all here.
Spring Green
On a side note, there are several interesting architectural gems in downtown Spring Green as well.
This is a bank that was designed by William Wesley Peters who was an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright.
I hope you enjoyed this mini-tour of a couple of the FLW sites in Wisconsin. Illinois also has its own FLW trail. That’s on my list to explore too.
Helpful links:
- Frank Lloyd Wright Trail – Wisconsin: http://wrightinwisconsin.org/frank-lloyd-wright-trail
- Monona Terrace: https://www.mononaterrace.com/
- Travel Wisconsin – Spring Green: https://www.travelwisconsin.com/south-central/sauk-county/spring-green
- Taliesin: https://www.taliesinpreservation.org
