Questions have been raised over the maintenance of Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s former home and studio, after a visitor was reportedly struck and killed on October 16 by an acrylic fragment that had been dislodged from the property by high winds.
The Scottsdale Police Department has identified the deceased as Brazilian national Rogério Renato Mateucci, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, who had traveled to the US for an event at Arizona State University. According to authorities, Mateucci was struck by a roof piece during a walking tour. Mateucci was pronounced dead at the scene.
The National Weather Service reported east winds of 22 miles per hour in the area of Scottsdale with gusts up to 32 miles per hour, on October 16, and people were warned that travel or safety may be disrupted as a result.
In a statement, Joe Spector, the chief executive of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, said that the foundation “extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the individual” and that “no further details will be shared out of respect for privacy and to allow officials to complete their work.” Authorities are treating Mateucci’s death as a weather-related accident, further investigating pending.
Whether his death was preventable, however, has been questioned in the days since.
Vidal Martins, a colleague of Mateucci who identified his body from photographs, told The Arizona Public, that “security measures must be taken because it’s a public place.” He also shared a photo of a translucent panel lying among rocks and desert vegetation outside Taliesin West.
A former employee has also spoken out on the topic, telling local news channel AZ Family on the condition of anonymity that they had witnessed two other objects breaking loose from the roof, as well as a similar panel coming loose during a monsoon over the summer. The source claimed that “money [isn’t] being funneled into the proper channels to ensure that the building is safe.” The property has temporarily closed without a date for reopening in place yet.
ARTnews has contacted the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation for comment.
Wright built the studio and home in 1937 and lived there until his death in 1959. The property spans across 491 acres, and in 1986 opened as the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, before changing its name to The School of Architecture.