Important Design 
7 June 2018
Albert Chase McArthur, four skylight tiles from the Arizona Biltmore - Image 1 of 1
Important Design 
Albert Chase McArthur, four skylight tiles from the Arizona Biltmore - Image 1 of 1
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Albert Chase McArthur

four skylight tiles from the Arizona Biltmore

USA, 1927
cast milk glass, copper 13½ h × 17¾ w × 1¼ d in (34 × 45 × 3 cm)
estimate: $2,000–3,000
result: $2,250
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provenance: Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix | Private Collection
literature: Frank Lloyd Wright Monograph: 1924-1936, Futagawa and Pfeiffer, ppg. 40-45

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While there has always been some controversy over the true architect of the Arizona Biltmore, the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright on the hotel is undeniable. The architect of record was Albert Chase McArthur, a student of Wright who worked as a draftsman in Wright’s Oak Park studio. When charged with the commission to build the luxury hotel, McArthur turned to his one-time teacher to serve as consulting architect and oversee construction using Wright’s Textile Block system. Wright accepted, “I gladly turned into quarters at Phoenix and worked some nine months during a characteristic Phoenix summer (118 degrees in the shade) to help Albert establish the thing wanted.” The resulting design, from the concrete exterior to the thick glass block windows, exudes Wright’s style and illustrates the magnitude of his influence.

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