SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona desert home of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright remained temporarily closed to the public on Wednesday after a piece of a roof blew off in high winds, killing a visitor from Brazil who was touring the historic property last week.
Witnesses say Rogério Renato Mateucci, 55, was struck in the head and died instantly Friday, according to police in Scottsdale, east of Phoenix. Wind gusts of up to 38 mph (61 kph) were
recorded at the Scottsdale Airport that day, according to the National Weather Service.
The 1937 home and surrounding compound, called Taliesin West, have low-slung roofs and rock walls that appear to blend into the surrounding desert. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, the property draws up to 100,000 visitors a year, according to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, its owner. It served as Wright's winter home as well as a “desert laboratory” for his students.
The foundation said in a statement following Mateucci's death that the property was closed to the public “until further notice.” A foundation spokesperson did not respond to an email Wednesday asking when tours would resume.
Mateucci worked as the senior administrator at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, located in the Brazilian city of Curitiba. In a statement, the school said he was its rector and a lay member of the Catholic order of Marist priests and brothers. He was from the city of São Paulo.
The school said Mateucci was visiting the U.S. to attend an international program at Arizona State University.
Wright's foundation offered its condolences Saturday, saying on social media that it wouldn’t comment further while there’s an active police investigation. Sgt. Allison Sempsis, a Scottsdale police spokesperson, said the investigation doesn’t prevent the site from reopening.
