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Special to The Journal
Washington, D.C. The past 83 years have been hard on Taliesin, the prairie-style home and studio of architect Frank Lloyd Wright near Spring Green, Wis.
The main house burned twice early in this century, and all of the buildings now are plagued with a variety of heating, drainage and structural problems.
The plight of the complex has attracted the concern of several Wisconsin lawmakers and, in the process, stirred up a debate over whether the federal government should get involved in restoring the site.
Robert Burley, preservation director of the non-profit Taliesin Preservation Commission, says renovations are urgently needed for most of the buildings on the pastoral 600- acre estate.
"The longer we put off the renovation, the more things we may lose," Burley said.
After a visit to Taliesin, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) saw the same problems.
Although he has denounced excessive government spending throughout his first term, coming down on big projects such as the superconducting super collider and space station, he agreed to sponsor the Taliesin Preservation Act. It would make available $8 million in federal money to help restore the site.
In introducing the bill, Kohl praised the "vibrant...