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- Frank Gehry, renowned architect, dies at age 96 (cbsnews.com)
Frank Gehry, Visionary Architect Behind Iconic Structures, Dies at 96
Santa Monica, CA – Frank Gehry, the revolutionary architect whose whimsical and often controversial designs reshaped skylines and challenged conventional notions of building, has passed away at the age of 96. A representative confirmed to CBS News that Gehry, celebrated for masterpieces like the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, died Friday at his home in Santa Monica following a brief respiratory illness.
Meaghan Lloyd, Gehry’s chief of staff at Gehry Partners LLP, noted in an email to CBS News that the architectural titan had garnered every major accolade in his field, including the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. His work was frequently lauded as “refreshingly original and totally American,” a testament to his unique vision.
Gehry’s profound interest in modern pop art served as a catalyst for some of the most imaginatively constructed buildings globally, earning him a level of international recognition rarely achieved by architects. Beyond the shimmering curves of Spain’s Guggenheim and the dynamic angles of LA’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, his celebrated portfolio includes Berlin’s DZ Bank Building and a significant expansion of Facebook’s Northern California headquarters, commissioned by CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself. Chicago also proudly hosts his designs, with the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park and the BP Pedestrian Bridge connecting it to Maggie Daley Park.
His extensive list of honors includes the Royal Institute of British Architects gold medal, the Americans for the Arts lifetime achievement award, and Canada’s highest civilian honor, the Companion of the Order of Canada.
Decades after he moved beyond conventional designs, a humorous anecdote emerged in 2006 regarding the pedestrian Santa Monica mall project that had sparked his career epiphany. When word spread that the mall might face demolition, Gehry’s admirers were dismayed, but the architect found the situation amusing.
“They’re going to tear it down now and build the kind of original idea I had,” he quipped with a laugh. The mall was eventually remodeled for a more contemporary, open-air feel, though it never quite achieved Gehry’s signature flair.
Gehry remained active into his 80s, continuing to unveil acclaimed structures that redefined urban landscapes worldwide. Notable later works include the InterActiveCorp (IAC) Building in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, completed in 2007, which took on the appearance of a shimmering beehive. The 76-story New York by Gehry building, an impressive addition to the Lower Manhattan skyline, opened in 2011 and was once among the world’s tallest residential structures.
In 2011, Gehry joined the faculty of his alma mater, the University of Southern California, as a professor of architecture, also having taught at Yale and Columbia University.
While his work garnered widespread admiration, it also drew its share of criticism. Some detractors likened his monumental creations to oversized, lopsided versions of the scrap-wood cities he built as a child in Timmins, Ontario.
Princeton art critic Hal Foster deemed many of his later projects “oppressive,” suggesting they were designed primarily as tourist attractions. The Walt Disney Concert Hall, for instance, was derided by some as resembling a collection of rain-soaked cardboard boxes.
Even the family of President Dwight D. Eisenhower expressed their disapproval of Gehry’s ambitious proposal for a memorial to the 34th president. Despite the family’s preference for a simpler design, Gehry largely maintained his vision, which featured multiple statues and billowing metal tapestries illustrating Eisenhower’s life.
Gehry, however, rarely let criticism faze him, often embracing it with good humor. He famously appeared as himself in a 2005 episode of “The Simpsons,” where he designed a concert hall that was later repurposed as a prison.
His design inspiration for the animated structure, strikingly similar to the Disney Hall, came after he crumpled Marge Simpson’s letter and tossed it aside, proclaiming, “Frank Gehry, you’ve done it again!” He later mused to The Associated Press, “Some people think I actually do that.”
Born Ephraim Owen Goldberg in Toronto on February 28, 1929, Gehry immigrated to Los Angeles with his family in 1947, later becoming a U.S. citizen. He changed his name at the suggestion of his first wife, who believed antisemitism might be hindering his career.
Though he enjoyed drawing and building model cities as a child, Gehry credited a college ceramics teacher with recognizing his talent at age 20, leading him to consider a career in architecture. “It was like the first thing in my life that I’d done well in,” he recalled.
He earned an architecture degree from the University of Southern California in 1954 and, after serving in the Army, pursued urban planning studies at Harvard University.
Frank Gehry is survived by his wife, Berta; daughter, Brina; sons Alejandro and Samuel; and the indelible architectural legacies he leaves behind. His daughter, Leslie Gehry Brenner, passed away from cancer in 2008.
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