I had just visited Taliesin West where a Frank Lloyd Wright aficionado took us around the grounds for over three hours under the blazing sun. It was a fascinating tour (review: http://bit.ly/2wNBZET), and one of her departing messages to the group was to check out this spire about twenty minutes away. How it ended up on the southeastern corner of Scottsdale Rd and Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. in Scottsdale's Promenade Shopping Center is anyone's guess, and the colorful blue and green tower seems somewhat trivialized by its location. Somehow I bet Frank would find it amusing.
Its back story is interesting as it was designed by Wright to sit on top of the Arizona state capitol building, but the local politicians at the time rejected it as too flamboyant. Wright died two years later thinking it was one of many rejections he received throughout his career. However, it was finally built in 2004 with 1,700 panels of steel weighing over 37-1/2 tons (photo: http://bit.ly/2wNymxT). It's quite a sight off the road and nicely complemented by the sculpture garden (photo: http://bit.ly/2xaOVEq). I've seen photos of how it glows a bright blue in the dark, but hey, I have a flight to catch. Tick-tock.