The School of Architecture at Taliesin has announced that the school closes its operations after 88 years. Fostering Frank Lloyd Wright's vision for "organic architecture", the Governing Board decided to close operations of the two campuses of the school. The acclaimed architecture school was established in 1932 by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. 

The school has been integral to Wright's visionary architecture. Until now, top architectural students from across the U.S. and the world have studied at the school.

The school released a statement yesterday and it said: "The School of Architecture at Taliesin was not able to reach an agreement with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to keep the school open."

The school was fighting to keep its survival for years and it received an approval for its accreditation as an institute of higher learning in 2017. Aaron Betsky, architecture critic and columnist of Architect Magazine, is the Dean of the school. The school has two campuses; Taliesin West in Arizona and Wright's home and studio Taliesin in Wisconsin. 

According to the statement, the school will close its two campuses in Arizona and Wisconsin. School of Architecture at Taliesin (SOAT) will continue operating during the Spring 2020 Semester. The school will officially close by the end of June.

The School of Architecture at Taliesin has been a pillar both in the architecture world as well as Arizona and Wisconsin where Frank Lloyd Wright and his wife Olgivanna invited architecture students to live and work with them and immerse themselves in 'organic architecture'.

That immersion evolved into the architecture school whose alumni have worked on important Frank Lloyd Wright designs including Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum.

"This is a sad and somber day for our school, our students and staff and the architecture community. We are saddened we could not reach an agreement with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to continue operating the architecture school," said Dan Schweiker, Chairperson of the Board of Governors for the School of Architecture at Taliesin.

"We did everything possible to fight for its survival"

"Our innovative school and its mission were integral to Frank Lloyd Wright's vision for connecting architecture to our natural world. Wright's legacy was not just building."

"It was a school to promulgate the lessons for all future generations," added Schweiker.

"The closure of the school is very emotional for our students, our faculty and staff and all of us who worked so hard for this one-of-a-kind institution and its important role in Frank Lloyd Wright's legacy. We did everything possible to fight for its survival but due to other forces it was not meant to be," Schweiker said.

There are approximately 30 students currently enrolled at SOAT.

Taliesin West (begun 1938, Scottsdale, Arizona). Image © Foskett Creative, courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

Students' credits will be transferred to The Design School at Arizona State University

SOAT is working out an agreement with The Design School at Arizona State University's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts so its students can transfer credits and complete their degree programs.

The School of Architecture at Taliesin offered a unique experience for architecture apprentices and students who traveled to Wisconsin and Arizona to work with Frank Lloyd Wright and other designers.

Students often design and live in their own residences at the Taliesin campuses. In Scottsdale, those designs have been aimed at living in the Sonoran Desert. Those designs are part of what made SOAT a different type of design and architectural school. Students designed more than buildings. They focus on how to change the world.

The School of Architecture at Taliesin is a separate independent entity from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. SOAT is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the National Architectural Accrediting Board, the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education.

The school is in good standing with accrediting agencies as well as the states of Arizona and Wisconsin.

"In an age of so much turbulence, this school and its students provided so much peace. It breaks my heart that all the parties could not come together to ensure the proper legacy of this great American," said Jacki Lynn, a Member of the Board of Governors for the School of Architecture at Taliesin.

The School of Architecture at Taliesin was re-nominated to UNESCO World Heritage Status in 2018. 

Top image courtesy of School of Architecture at Taliesin

> via The School of Architecture at Taliesin