A Brazilian university rector was killed while touring Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Arizona after strong winds ripped roofing material loose and sent it into his head, authorities and university officials said.
Brother Rogerio Renato Mateucci, 55, rector of Brazil’s Pontifical Catholic University of Parana, died Oct. 16 while visiting the historic Taliesin West property in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Scottsdale Police Department told The Arizona Republic, part of the USA Today network. Police said Mateucci was on a walking tour with other visitors when roofing material blew off a roof and struck him. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene. Police spokesperson Officer Aaron Bolin said Mateucci was walking through the property with other people when he was hit.
In a separate statement, Mateucci’s university said an acrylic object struck him in the head during the afternoon visit and that he died immediately. Detectives and crime scene personnel responded to investigate, but authorities said no foul play was suspected.
The accident came as much of Arizona was under wind alerts, including the Phoenix area, where a National Weather Service wind advisory was in effect for Oct. 16. In the days after the death, Taliesin West stayed closed to visitors while the investigation continued. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation said the site would remain closed until further notice and offered condolences to Mateucci’s family and loved ones. In a statement on Oct. 17, the foundation said: “The Foundation extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the individual who died Friday, October 16, following an accident at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Scottsdale Police Department is aware of the incident, and no further details will be shared out of respect for privacy and to allow officials to complete their work.”
Mateucci was in Arizona to visit Arizona State University as part of an international leadership program for higher education administrators, his university’s press office told the Republic on Oct. 19. The program, organized by EduConecta, ran Oct. 11 to Oct. 17 and included sessions with ASU leaders. Jerry Gonzalez, a spokesperson for ASU, said Mateucci was among about 40 private university leaders visiting the campus to explore academic partnerships. Mateucci toured Taliesin West after the group’s ASU sessions ended around noon on Oct. 16, said Vidal Martins, a vice rector at Mateucci’s university who traveled with him to Arizona. Martins said Mateucci loved art and architecture and had been eager to visit.
The fatal accident has prompted questions about safety precautions at the historic site. In response to an inquiry from the Republic about roof inspections, high-wind precautions and reopening plans, foundation spokesperson Jan Bracamonte provided a statement from CEO Joe Spector saying the property would remain closed until further notice. The statement did not address inspections or wind-related safety measures. Martins, who was not on the tour, questioned how the acrylic had been secured and what safety measures protected visitors. “I think the security measures must be taken, because it’s a public place,” Martins told the Republic.
Taliesin West was established by Wright in 1937 in the foothills of Scottsdale’s McDowell Mountains and served as the famed architect’s winter home until he died in 1959. The property later became the headquarters of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and a major tourist attraction offering guided and self-guided tours. A notice at the top of the foundation’s website read, “Taliesin West is currently closed to the public.”
Replies