An architectural tour turned tragic when a stray piece of roofing material struck a college president.
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The Incident Took Place at a Frank Lloyd Wright Home
As the New York Post reports, Rogério Renato Mateucci, a 55-year-old from Brazil, was touring Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Oct. 16. The landmark was Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home.
During the tour, winds gusting at 32 mph caused a piece of the home's roof to come loose. It struck Mateucci, the rector of Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in Brazil. He died instantly.
No foul play is suspected. Officials are calling his death a weather-related accident. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the organization that runs the facility, expressed its "deep condolences" for the tragic incident. In a statement, it announced that the landmark is closed to the public until further notice.
"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," the statement read.
Classes at the College Were Canceled
Since 2022, Mateucci had been the most senior leader at the Catholic university. He also earned multiple degrees in education, including a doctorate in educational leadership from Fordham University.
According to a statement from the school, classes at Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná were canceled Saturday through Monday to mourn Mateucci's death. The school held a Mass in his memory yesterday, Oct. 19. A funeral will be held once his body has been returned to Brazil.
"And, for those who believe, life is not taken from us, but transformed. Therefore, united by faith in the resurrection, let us now join in prayer for our dearest Brother Rogério," the university wrote.
Wright built Taliesin West in 1937 in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains. The site was the architect's desert laboratory. It is now a National Historic Landmark and the headquarters of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
