Famed architect’s home receives UNESCO recognition

IAN STALKER

VisitPhoenix is inviting tourists vacationing in Phoenix to view a home of a man acclaimed for designing homes and other structures.

VisitPhoenix spokesman Doug MacKenzie notes Phoenix area attractions include the winter home of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, with the structure having received recognition by UNESCO, which has placed Taliesin West on its World Heritage Site list.

The house, located in Scottsdale, about 25 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix, opened in 1937, and today, offers five different tours throughout the year.

“The home is pretty much preserved as it was (when Lloyd Wright lived in it,)” MacKenzie says.

Canadian tourists tend to view Phoenix as a winter destination, but MacKenzie says tourism authorities promote the city as a year-round vacation retreat.

Summer is seen as value season, and those holidaying there during that time of year may find hotels whose rates are a third of what they would be during winter.

MacKenzie says a dry climate means Phoenix is suited for outdoor activities and notes the city has some 200 golf courses that are open to the public.

A growing tourism infrastructure includes the fall arrival of the Great Wolf Lodge’s Scottsdale location. The family-friendly resort has an indoor water park, a family entertainment centre and 350 rooms. There’s also a ride called Diamond Drop that’s billed as a “high-speed, four-person waterslide featuring serpentine curves and high-bank thrills.”

Century Grand is a new bar that rekindles memories of earlier rail travel, and those watching an interactive video on a screen will experience a sensation equivalent to “taking a train trip,” MacKenzie adds.

The area will be gaining a Ritz-Carlton and the storied Phoenician has seen what MacKenzie describes as a “wonderful transformation.”

More information can be found at visitphoenix.com.