Renowned architect Frank Gehry passes away at the age of 96

Frank Gehry, celebrated as one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, has died at the age of 96. The news was confirmed by his chief of staff, Meaghan Lloyd, stating he passed away at his California home on Friday.

Gehrys revolutionary architectural style has shaped urban landscapes globally. Among his most renowned works is the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, located along the River Nervin in Spains Basque Country. Opened in 1997, the museums innovative titanium curves helped rejuvenate the declining city of Bilbao.

Other iconic projects include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, completed in 2003 with a budget of $274 million, and the BioMuseo in Panama. Gehry frequently utilized steel, bending it into expressive, dynamic forms that became his signature.

In Europe, his futuristic Der Neue Zollhof complex in Dsseldorf showcased bold, curving blue structures, while The Dancing House in Prague, designed with Czech architect Vlado Miluni, gives the impression of a building on the verge of toppling. In Barcelona, his golden sculpture El Peix stretches 52 meters along the waterfront, created for the 1992 Olympics.

Gehry also designed the Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago, known for its insect-like appearance, and the IAC Building in New York, resembling a luminous beehive, completed in 2007. The 76-storey New York By Gehry residential tower opened in 2011, marking another milestone in his career.

Born Frank Owen Goldberg on February 28, 1929, in Toronto to Polish Jewish parents, Gehry displayed a passion for architecture early, crafting miniature cities from scraps of wood. He earned his architecture degree from the University of Southern California in 1954, served in the army, and later studied urban planning at Harvard University.

His breakthrough came when a developer noticed his Santa Monica home, a 1978 design featuring a wooden bungalow wrapped in corrugated metal and plywood. Gehry founded Gehry Partners LLP in 1962, which grew into a firm with over 130 employees.

Gehry also contributed to academia, teaching at the University of Southern California, Yale, and Columbia University. His later works include the Facebook campus expansion in Menlo Park in 2015 and La Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris in 2014.

Throughout his career, Gehry received numerous accolades, including the Pritzker Prize, the Royal Institute of British Architects Gold Medal, the Americans for the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award, and Canadas Companion of the Order of Canada.

Author: Chloe Ramirez