Architect Frank Gehry dies at 96 in Santa Monica home
Renowned Architect Dies at Home in California
Frank Gehry, a globally acclaimed architect known for designing some of the most distinctive buildings in the world, died on Friday at his home in Santa Monica, California. He was 96 years old. Meaghan Lloyd, chief of staff at Gehry Partners LLP, said Gehry died after a brief respiratory illness.
Career Highlights and Major Works
Gehry designed numerous prominent structures, including the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles; and the DZ Bank Building in Berlin. He also created the design for the headquarters of InterActiveCorp, known as the IAC Building, in New York City's Chelsea district, completed in 2007, and the 76-story New York By Gehry residential tower in lower Manhattan, which opened in 2011.
Gehry designed an expansion of Facebook's Northern California headquarters at the request of the company's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. Earlier in his career, he designed public housing projects and shopping centers and at one point worked as a delivery truck driver. He eventually designed a modern shopping mall overlooking the Santa Monica Pier.
Education, Teaching, and Professional Practice
Gehry earned a degree in architecture from the University of Southern California in 1954 and later studied urban planning at Harvard University after serving in the U.S. Army. In 1962, he founded the architectural firm Gehry Partners LLP. As his reputation grew, the firm expanded to more than 130 employees, and Gehry continued to personally oversee every project.
In 2011, Gehry joined the faculty of the University of Southern California as a professor of architecture. He also taught at Yale University and Columbia University.
Awards and Honors
Gehry received multiple major honors in architecture, including the Pritzker Prize, which is regarded as the field's top award. He was also awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects gold medal, the Americans for the Arts lifetime achievement award, and the Companion of the Order of Canada, his native country's highest honor.
Early Life and Personal Background
Ephraim Owen Goldberg, later known as Frank Gehry, was born in Toronto on February 28, 1929. He moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1947 and eventually became a U.S. citizen. As an adult, he changed his name at the suggestion of his first wife. Gehry said he began to consider a career in architecture at age 20, after a college ceramics teacher recognized his talent.
Ongoing Projects and Legacy
The Guggenheim Museum in Abu Dhabi, designed by Gehry and first proposed in 2006, is expected to be completed in 2026 following construction delays and intermittent work. Plans call for the 30,000-square-foot (2,787-square-meter) building to be the largest Guggenheim museum and a lasting part of the cultural landscape in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Family Survivors
Gehry is survived by his wife, Berta; his daughter, Brina; and his sons, Alejandro and Samuel. Another daughter, Leslie Gehry Brenner, died of cancer in 2008.