For the First Time: FLW’s Taliesin West’s Apprentice’s Desert Shelters Open to the Public

For the first time, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is opening allowing the public to tour the desert shelters designed by the apprentices of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright on his property at Taliesin West, located in northeast Scottsdale.

Previously exclusive to Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation members, Taliesin West’s Shelters In the Desert Guided Tour is now available to the public for a limited time through April 8.

The 90-minute seasonal morning tour takes visitors beyond Wright’s winter home—now a UNESCO World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark—to walk desert trails, encountering 13 shelters and learning about Wright’s innovative “learning by doing” approach.

In 1938, Wright and his Taliesin Fellowship migrated to Scottsdale from Taliesin in Wisconsin to build Taliesin West as a winter camp. Apprentices resided in sheepherder tents, and the shelters grew to become an integral part of the Fellowship, providing experiential learning opportunities and valuable, hands-on interactions with nature. The apprentices were encouraged to live in several shelters within the first year to capture the essence of the site before designing their own more elaborate dwelling or customizing one from a previous student.

Visitors on the tour have the opportunity to experience a selection of the shelters, including Treehouse, The Loft, INcognITo, and more. Tour guides encourage visitors to engage with the surroundings, such as moving canvas panels to see how they can customize the amount of privacy and natural lighting of the space. 

The tours are available on Sundays and Mondays at 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

12621 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85259