Taliesin West Closes After Tourist Killed by Wind-Blown Roofing

A man died on Friday at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona, after strong winds blew roofing material off a structure and struck him during a walking tour. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has closed the property to the public until further notice.

The victim has been identified as Rogério Renato Mateucci, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in Brazil. According to the Scottsdale Fire Department, the incident occurred at 2 p.m. local time. Mateucci was on a group walking tour when wind dislodged the roofing material.

He died instantly. Authorities are treating the death as a weather-related accident.

What were the conditions at the time?

Local television channels had declared a First Alert Weather Day, a designation weather teams use to warn viewers of events that may disrupt travel or safety. The National Weather Service recorded east winds of 22 miles per hour in the area, with gusts reaching 32 miles per hour.

No other injuries or deaths were reported among the remaining individuals on the walking tour, local channel AZ Family reported.

What has the foundation said?

The foundation's CEO, Joe Spector, told AZ Family that the organization "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."

On Instagram, the foundation stated that the "Scottsdale Police Department is aware of the incident" and that the property is "closed to the public until further notice." The foundation has not announced a reopening date.

What is Taliesin West?

Wright built the studio and home in 1937 and lived there until his death in 1959. The property spans 491 acres in the Sonoran Desert foothills of Scottsdale.

The site holds a place in museum history as well. In 1940, New York's Museum of Modern Art exhibited a complex of the property. In 1947, photographs of the structures were displayed at the museum.

The closure suspends public access to one of the most visited Wright sites in the United States. What this changes, for now, is the tour calendar: visitors holding bookings will face cancellations or deferrals until the Scottsdale Police Department completes its work and the foundation reopens the grounds.