Architecture

The Frank Lloyd Wright Collection has been built largely through the efforts of Curtis Besinger, a Taliesin Fellow from 1939 to 1955 and now KU Professor Emeritus of Architecture. Since the collection was begun in 1969 he has been an extraordinarily generous donor, has advised us on the development of the collection, and persuaded others to contribute as well. The collection is made up of books by and about Wright, over a thousand photographs (most of them the gift of Elizabeth Gordon Norcross, former editor of House Beautiful) of his buildings and of life at Taliesin (particularly Taliesin West), a great many clippings and rare printed ephemera, such as Taliesin Eyes, the little newsletter printed by the Taliesin Fellows, and architectural drawings made by Curtis Besinger when he was a member of Wright's staff.

In 1934, George and Helen Beal became the first husband and wife team of Taliesin fellows. Mrs. Beal was adopted as surrogate big sister or aunt to a whole generation of the Fellows and they continued to correspond with her, and with Professor Beal to a lesser degree, for decades. The extensive collection of letters reveals Frank Lloyd Wright and his teaching methods through his students' eyes -- rather a different view from that of the official biographies.