About
After Frank Lloyd Wright’s passing in 1959, the responsibility of continuing his legacy passed to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, who joined the Taliesin Fellowship in 1949, took on the important task of establishing the Foundation Archives. He quickly began cataloging hundreds of thousands of architectural drawings, letters, and photographs—organizing it so it would be accessible to scholars researching Wright and the Fellowship.
Housed at both Taliesin and Taliesin West, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Collection includes the personal belongings and art collections of the Wrights, furnishings for their homes and studios, the creative output of Fellowship members, archival material relating to the Foundation’s institutional history, and secondary resources related to the above. This unique assemblage of objects is the only extant collection dedicated to the daily lives of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Fellowship, enabling the Foundation to tell the intimate stories of Taliesin and Taliesin West like no other organization can.
These historic materials provide first-hand opportunities for research and learning that are critical to continuing Wright’s legacy while also supporting the next generation of architects, artists, designers, historians, and students at all levels. As stewards of the Collection, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation collections department prioritizes making it accessible digitally and in-person, with the goal of publishing our object and library databases, as well as archive finding aids, in 2025.
The Archival Collection includes approximately 1,200 linear feet of material held at Taliesin West. Types of material include architectural fragments, audio-visual material, correspondence, drawings, ephemera, graphics related to the Taliesin Press, licensing sample products, oral histories, photographs, vertical files, and more. The archive holds vast records of the Foundation – from the creative output of the Fellows such as the Taliesin Festival of Music and Dance to institutional records. Other major holdings are records related to the apprentices and Taliesin West as a World Heritage site.
![[Taliesin West by James Thomson, 1944, graphite pencil and colored pencil on paper, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Collection, 3803.209.]](https://franklloydwright.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/thompson.png)
1910.629.1-6. The mural from the TAA designed Lewis and Roca law firm in Phoenix.
Wooden mask on the desk at the right of the photograph (1186.081).
From the John Amarantides papers, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Collection
The Fine and Decorative Arts Collection contains art and other objects collected by Wright, furnishings for Taliesin and Taliesin West, items designed by Wright, and the creative output of the Fellowship. This collection also includes personal effects such as clothing and accessories.
The Functional Collection consists of objects and furniture at both sites that are used for educational, research, or interpretive purposes. These pieces were often made by Fellowship members or Foundation staff for use at Taliesin and Taliesin West. Visitors are often able to physically interact with these pieces, by actually sitting in them which allows for a more immersive tour experience.
William Wesley Peters Library and Special Collection contains approximately 30,000 books, periodicals, and other printed materials, with a focus on Frank Lloyd Wright, art, architecture, and design. This also includes personal book collections of the Wrights and Taliesin Fellows.
The Buildings and Landscapes at Taliesin and Taliesin West are historically significant and are considered part of the Foundation’s Collection. This includes the natural landscapes and viewsheds, which are important aspects of Wright’s design and his philosophy of organic architecture.
As stewards, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation preserves the cultural, built, and natural environments that comprise both the Taliesin and Taliesin West properties. You can read more on our preservation page.
Image Requests
For image requests pertaining to scholarly work, please fill out this form. Collections staff will respond to your request via email within two weeks.
Contact Us
For additional information about the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Collection, or to schedule a research visit, please email us at Collections@FrankLloydWright.org.
The Collections Team:
Rebecca Hagen, Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer Director of Collections & Archives
Pat D. Evans, Registrar
Nicole Richard, Archivist
Lesley Tsuchiya, Research & Special Collections Librarian
Kyle Dockery, Collections Coordinator
Caroline Strolic, Associate Registrar
Additional Research Resources
Original Frank Lloyd Wright Drawings, correspondence, and photographs
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archive of original architectural drawings, correspondence, photographs, and other archival material are held in the collection of the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University. You must contact the Avery Library directly to receive reproductions of material held there. The Avery Library has made a black-and-white set of low-resolution reference drawings available for viewing many of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs on the JSTOR website. Material in this collection is under copyright by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, who gives permission for use.
Taliesin Associated Architects & Organic Design
Founded by Frank Lloyd Wright’s apprentices after his death in 1959, Taliesin Associated Architects continued Wright’s design philosophies until it’s closing in 2003. The Organic Architecture + Design Archives Archival Study Center, located in Chandler, Arizona, houses the Taliesin Associated Architects Collection. Research requests can be submitted through their website.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Library
Architectural historian Paul V. Turner, in collaboration with Stanford University Library, hosts a database devoted to Frank Lloyd Wright’s library. On the website, Turner lists the books that Wright owned, and which inspired his life, philosophy, and work.
Header image: Detail of a design for a glass mural for Mr. And Mrs. Chester Sharp.
Drawing by Eugene Masselink 1910.251-1
Freedom of speech is the foundation of our communities and our nation. The material in the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Collection may awe, illuminate, challenge, unsettle, confound, provoke, and, at times, offend. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation does not necessarily endorse the work, vision, ideas, and opinions of the creators in our collection. Consistent with our fundamental commitment to freedom of speech, we actively promote access to the collection and will not sensor material in response to political or ideological pressure. That said, some information may require restriction due to their legal or financial nature.
