Overview
- Frank Gehry died on December 5 at age 96 at his Santa Monica home, his office confirmed.
- The 1977 Santa Monica “Gehry Residence” used chain‑link, plywood and corrugated metal to wrap an existing bungalow, drawing global attention as a laboratory for ideas that critic Paul Goldberger says propelled his career.
- The years‑long reworking of the house won admirers and prompted neighborhood backlash, including an attempted lawsuit, reflecting the project’s disruptive impact on its street context.
- Late in life he built a second Santa Monica home with his son Samuel, retaining his sculptural approach with higher‑end materials such as Douglas fir, and both properties remain in the family.
- He is widely known for landmark works including the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Walt Disney Concert Hall, and fresh assessments in Los Angeles highlight both his innovations and critiques of projects like The Grand and his still‑contested Los Angeles River vision, with reporting noting stalled retail ambitions and unresolved planning debates.