Frank Lloyd Wright’s School of Architecture at Taliesin, which has campuses in both Arizona and Wisconsin, will close in June 2020, Archinect reported Tuesday.

After 88 years of operation, the school will shutter its doors because its Board and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation were unable to come to an agreement on how to continue operating as an accredited program.

The decision was “gut-wrenching,” a press release issued by the school said.

“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,” Dan Schweiker, chairperson of the Board of Governors for the school, said in a statement.

However, this is not the first time the school has faced challenges. In 2017, the school’s accreditation was threatened by new laws enacted by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) that mandated universities, colleges and other post-secondary institutions be financially and administratively independent from “larger institutions with multi-faceted missions.” In order to keep their accreditation, the school formally separated from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and removed “Frank Lloyd Wright” from the official name.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation issued its own press release yesterday that seemed to suggest the school’s woes were beyond the Foundation’s scope of support:

“In discussions between the organizations, [School of Architecture at Taliesin] Board leaders had communicated unequivocally to the Foundation that the School did not have a sustainable business model that would allow it to maintain its operation as an accredited program.”

Although the two entities had been in discussions to develop a plan that would enable the school to remain open through July 2021, the Foundation and the school’s Board were unable to agree upon a proposal.

As for the students who will not have finished their studies as of June, the school is in the process of developing an agreement with The Design School at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts so that these students can transfer credits there in order to finish their degree programs.

Despite the bleak news for the school, Stuart Graff, President and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, emphasized to Inman that, “This news does not impact the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Taliesin West in Scottsdale or Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Taliesin West and Taliesin remain open and thriving, including tours, events, K-12 education programs and camps, live performances and more.”

Frank Lloyd Wright designed 1,114 architectural works during his lifetime, 532 of which came to fruition. In July, eight of his designed buildings were named Unesco World heritage sites, including both campuses of the school. Taliesin was a sixth-century Welsh poet, and the namesake of Wright’s original Taliesin estate (his primary residence, and one of the school’s campuses) in Spring Green, Wisconsin.

Email Lillian Dickerson

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×