DESERT JEWEL

A RECENT RENOVATION ENSURES FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT’S LEGACY CONTINUES TO SHINE AT THE ARIZONA BILTMORE IN PHOENIX

Rewind to the Roaring Twenties, when the entrepreneurial McArthur brothers sought to propel America’s newest state, Arizona, into the travel spotlight, anchored by a luxury resort and residential community. Eldest brother and architect Albert Chase McArthur had previously worked under Frank Lloyd Wright and sought his mentor’s expertise in developing an architectural masterpiece at the foot of the Phoenix Mountains. Upon completion, Wright’s distinctive “texture block” style defined the Arizona Biltmore, a multi-acre expanse strewn with grand architectural assemblies of three-dimensional bricks hewn of local clay, each conforming to one of 34 different designs inspired by the Arizona palm. Inside, ornate details dazzled the United States’ nouveau riche. True to its name, the Gold Room dining hall featured the largest gold leaf ceiling in the world (behind the Taj Mahal), as well as an orchestra pit and a trio of murals by Maynard Dixon, rooted in Hopi and Navajo mythology. The Aztec Room consummated Wright’s vision of “unencumbered beauty,” a vaulted octagonal space crowned by 33,000 pounds of copper in a space that functioned as both a ballroom and movie theater. Interior mazes of contrasting narrow corridors and wide-open spaces embodied Wright’s design principle of “compression and release.”

Fast-forward almost a century and today’s Arizona Biltmore deftly preserves Wright’s architectural ethos while advancing his legacy through new design enhancements recently completed to the tune of $70 million. To ensure the Biltmore remained true to its roots while renovating, two firms versed in all things Frank Lloyd Wright were commissioned: Virserius Design Studio and PHX Architecture. Reimagined guest rooms were inspired by Wright’s love for bold geometric shapes and now feature textured walls divided into non-uniform rectangles and credenzas with protruding triangular wooden drawers. Common areas also highlight Wright’s influence beyond what existed initially. In the lobby, for example, one can’t miss the backlit geometric stained-glass recreation of his 1927 Saguaro Forms and Cactus Flowers drawing, which later resurfaces in a more progressive incarnation at the Saguaro below: The Mystery Room, which never existed on any original blueprints of the Arizona Biltmore, was a secret, gentlemen-only space used during the Prohibition era for drinking, smoking, and stock market updates. In its current form, a wall-to-wall bookcase slides open to reveal a full-service bar.

In addition to guest rooms and suites over multiple wings, the property boasts a number of original 1929 cottages, retrofitted with desert-chic interiors, and firepits and green spaces outdoors.

Pool using colorful mosaic tiles and oval Bisazza coffee tables by Marcel Wanders. Across the grounds, a total of 19 Solemn Sprites safeguard the land, each born from an original sculpture designed by Wright for the Midway Gardens in Chicago in 1914. Additionally, 6,000 of the stylized bricks that first branded the Biltmore an icon have been replaced using original molds and the same process employed in 1929.

Overall, the 39-acre property that now stands as the Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, is a living legend steeped in architectural integrity yet thoughtfully modernized to fit today’s design vernacular. arizonabiltmore.com right: The reimagined Wright Bar, which anchors the lobby, channels Hollywood’s Golden Age glamour and embodies the Frank Lloyd Wright spirit of beautiful places for equally beautiful people. The square walls and columns invite a contrast of soft and voluptuous textures throughout the furnishings. far right inset: Oxidized peacock feather Bisazza tiles cloak the bar in its entirety.