Taliesin West, recognized as one of Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpieces, was one of the first major works during the last quarter-century of his life. It Is also highly significant as his winter home and office during this period and the winter headquarters of his architectural school-community, the Taliesin Fellowship. In constructing the complex, local varicolored volcanic rocks were set in wooden forms and bound with a special mix of cement and desert sand, sometimes dubbed "desert concrete," to form the massive walls and substructural elements, which are among the structures' most distinctive features. In Taliesin West and its complement, Taliesin in Wisconsin, Wright's visions of society, as well as his architectural concepts, are thoroughly expressed.