Taliesin West remains closed after roofing kills visitor during Arizona tour
Frank Lloyd Wright’s former winter home remained closed on October 21 after a visitor was struck by windblown roofing. Its owner has not announced when tours will resume.
Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s former winter home in Scottsdale, Arizona, remained closed to visitors on Wednesday, October 21, after windblown roofing killed a man touring the property on October 16, the Associated Press reported in Hindustan Times. The closure has interrupted public access to one of Wright’s best-known buildings, and its owner has not announced a reopening date.
What happened during the Taliesin West tour
The visitor was Rogério Renato Mateucci, 55, from Brazil. A piece of plexiglass roofing struck him during a walking tour, according to KJZZ. Witnesses said he was hit in the head and died instantly, the AP reported, citing Scottsdale police. Police spokesperson Sgt. Allison Sempsis identified the object as roofing material.
Wind gusts of up to 38 mph were recorded at Scottsdale Airport that day, according to National Weather Service figures cited by the AP. Police were investigating the death; the reports did not establish how the roofing came loose.
Mateucci was rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in Curitiba and a lay member of the Marist Catholic order, the university said in a statement cited by the AP. The university said he had traveled to the United States for an international program at Arizona State University. He was from São Paulo.
When could Taliesin West reopen?
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which owns Taliesin West, said the site was closed to the public until further notice, KJZZ reported. The foundation said it would share no further details out of respect for privacy and to allow officials to complete their work. Its spokesperson did not answer an AP inquiry on Wednesday about when tours might resume.
The foundation offered condolences after Mateucci’s death and said it would not comment further while the police investigation continued, according to the AP. Sempsis said that investigation did not prevent the site from reopening. The foundation had not given a date for doing so.
Built in 1937, Taliesin West was Wright’s winter home and a place where his students worked. The low roofs and rock walls of the desert compound are part of its distinctive design. The UNESCO World Heritage site draws up to 100,000 visitors a year, according to the foundation, making the closure significant for people planning to visit the property.
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Sources and context
- Visitor killed by piece of roof blown off Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home in ArizonaHindustan Times (AP feed)
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West closes indefinitely after death of a touristKJZZ
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.