Frank Lloyd Wright left behind a rich legacy of beautiful houses and buildings. It is important to preserve as much of this historic fabric as possible for public education and as a part of our culture. The Taliesin Entry Bridge designed by Mr. Wright was originally constructed sometime during the 20^th century as a part of County Trunk Highway C. Then during the 1960’s when CTH C was realigned, the bridge became a part of the Taliesin Estate as a private bridge. The bridge is in great need of restoration to save the history that remains and keep it accessible to all entry vehicles including fire trucks and construction vehicles.

The goal of the Taliesin Entry Bridge restoration project is to repair the bridge’s structural deficiencies while preserving the Frank Lloyd Wright presence. This involves maintaining the bridge’s original design and visual aesthetic features during and after construction. Westbrook Associated Engineers along with Taliesin® Preservation Inc. and The FLLW® Foundation developed a plan to restore the bridge without disrupting the original bridge design.

The restoration plan that was developed involves removing all loads on the existing historic bridge and building a new bridge over the top, without disturbing the existing bridge. Chip sealcoat will be placed on top of the new bridge deck after the bridge is complete so the new bridge will not be visible.  Westbrook helped Taliesin acquire the DNR and US Army Corps of Engineer permits, designed the new bridge, and designed the rehabilitation work for the existing bridge. Tom Green states that Taliesin® Preservation, Inc. and the FLLW® Foundation are pleased to contribute to the community by working with local engineers and contractors on this project.

Currently, all of the planning and engineering has been completed for the bridge, new abutments are installed, the piling is drilled and the deck is poured. The construction of the bridge is tentatively scheduled for completion during the middle of October.

During construction operations traffic into the homestead is being rerouted to the Hillside School entrance.

Tours at the Taliesin estate are run by Taliesin® Preservation, Inc. to educate the public about the legacy of Taliesin. Through these active tours and the bookstore sales, funds are raised to further the preservation of Taliesin. If you would like to make a donation to Taliesin® Preservation, Inc. please visit www.TaliesinPreservation.org. Tours of Taliesin are being held during construction. For more information or private tours call 877-588-7900.