Photo Courtesy of Taliesin Preservation
Taliesin Hillside Theater
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Taliesin Preservation recently celebrated the reopening of the Hillside Theater at Taliesin, Wright’s home and studio in Spring Green. The five-year, $1.1 million restoration revived the space to its former glory and updated it to expand contemporary uses.
Originally built in 1903 as part of the Hillside Home School founded by Wright’s aunts, the Hillside Theater has since served as a historic and cultural landmark within the Driftless Area. The theater has seen various transformations over the decades, from its initial use as a multipurpose space to a dedicated playhouse for the Taliesin Fellowship, Wright’s architectural apprentice program, where they hosted public movie screenings and concerts.
Photo Courtesy of Taliesin Preservation
Taliesin Hillside Preservation
Created with RNI Films app. Preset 'Agfa Optima 200'
The restoration project, which began in 2019, addressed significant structural and functional challenges. Key efforts included resolving sub-grade water infiltration that had damaged the stage and surrounding areas; installing an HVAC system to improve climate control and comfort; and enhancing accessibility with new pathways and facilities. The project also included upgrades to electrical and plumbing systems, roofing repairs, the addition of new green rooms, and exterior and interior finish repairs. Conservation specialists also restored two major Asian bodhisattva sculptures and the handmade theater curtain, which was designed by Wright and sewn by the Taliesin Fellowship as a gift to Wright. These meticulous efforts ensure that the theater is not only preserved but also modernized for contemporary uses.
Preservation Milestone
Photo by Tim Long
Taliesin Preservation
“Reopening the Hillside Theater is more than just a preservation milestone; it’s about reinvigorating a cornerstone of our cultural heritage and providing an immediate benefit—in the form of a newly restored theater—for our neighboring communities and visitors to the region,” said Stuart Graff, president and CEO at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. “Through performances, screenings, educational programs and community events, this space will once again inspire architects, artists and audiences, fostering a deeper connection to the arts as part of Frank Lloyd Wright’s lasting legacy.”Members of the public can experience the revitalized Hillside Theater during upcoming film screenings and performances. Common Ground, an award-winning documentary about regenerative agriculture, will be screened on June 30. The chamber music festival group Bach Dancing & Dynamite will perform on September 15. Third Coast Percussion of Chicago performed to a sold-out audience for the theater’s reopening. Other programs for 2024 and 2025 are still being finalized. The public may also visit the theater as part of tours offered seasonally from April through November. For the most up-to-date information on the Hillside Theater, public programs and tours at Taliesin, visit TaliesinPreservation.org.
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Enduring Cultural Impact
Photo via Taliesin Preservation
Hillside Theater at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin
Hillside Theater at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin
Nestled within 800 acres and boasting over 80,000 square feet of structures, Taliesin is where Wright designed many of his masterpieces, including Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. Today, Taliesin offers glimpses into Wright’s career, personal life and enduring cultural impact. In 2019, Taliesin was designated as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the 20th–Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The $1.1 million restoration project was funded in part by grants from the National Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures program; the National Endowment for the Arts; the National Trust for Historic Preservation; the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation; and through support from private donors and corporate partners. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, established by Wright in 1940, is dedicated to preserving Taliesin and Taliesin West, both on the World Heritage List, for future generations, and inspiring people to discover and embrace an architecture for better living through meaningful connections to nature, the arts, and each other. The Foundation continues the Frank Lloyd Wright legacy by broadening access to his ideas, works and organic design principles as relevant today as in his own time.
Taliesin Preservation is a Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) founded in 1993. Its mission is to preserve Taliesin’s natural, built, and cultural environments through educational and cultural programming and to provide a greater understanding of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture and ideas. For more information, visit taliesinpreservation.org.
