He Had a Dream for a Desert Resort that was Unrealized In 1928, a then down-and-out Wright traveled to Phoenix, dutifully helping a former apprentice with designs for the Biltmore hotel while surveying the parched landscape. The desert would become a site of renewal and resurgence for him in the late ‘30s, when he designed Taliesen West, but it wasn’t the first oasis Wright proposed. During the period he spent working on the Biltmore, he was approached by Alexander Chandler, a famous local developer and namesake of the Arizona city, to create a resort. Wright’s proposed San Marcos in the Desert, a series of copper-and-glass blocks built into the South Mountain foothills, was supposed to feature custom tapestries and terraced gardens outside guest rooms. Sadly, the Depression derailed funding for the luxurious resort. Photo 7 of 10 in 9 Things You Didn’t Know About Frank Lloyd Wright

9 Things You Didn’t Know About Frank Lloyd Wright

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He Had a Dream for a Desert Resort that was Unrealized

In 1928, a then down-and-out Wright traveled to Phoenix, dutifully helping a former apprentice with designs for the Biltmore hotel while surveying the parched landscape. The desert would become a site of renewal and resurgence for him in the late ‘30s, when he designed Taliesen West, but it wasn’t the first oasis Wright proposed. During the period he spent working on the Biltmore, he was approached by Alexander Chandler, a famous local developer and namesake of the Arizona city, to create a resort. Wright’s proposed San Marcos in the Desert, a series of copper-and-glass blocks built into the South Mountain foothills, was supposed to feature custom tapestries and terraced gardens outside guest rooms. Sadly, the Depression derailed funding for the luxurious resort.