FRANK GEHRY

FRANK GEHRY’S HOUSE

Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry was born Frank Owen Goldberg
on February 28, 1929, in Toronto, Canada.
The Goldberg family was Polish and Jewish.
Frank was creative at a young age, building
imaginary homes and cities from items found
in his grandfather's hardware store. This
interest in unconventional building materials
would come to characterize Gehry's
architectural work.
After leaving Harvard, Frank Gehry returned
to California, making a name for himself
with the launch of his "Easy Edges"
cardboard furniture line. The Easy Edges
pieces, crafted from layers of corrugated
cardboard, sold between 1969 and 1973.
FRANK GEHRY
Gehry is known for his choice of unusual
materials as well as his architectural philosophy.
His selection of materials such as corrugated
metal lends some of Gehry's designs an
unfinished or even crude aesthetic. This
consistent aesthetic has made Gehry one of the
most distinctive and easily recognizable
designers of the recent past. Critics of Gehry’s
work have charged, however, that his designs are
not thoughtful of contextual concerns and
frequently do not make the best use of valuable
urban space.
 Among his many official honors, Gehry was the
1989 recipient of the prestigious Pritzker Prize—
an annual award honoring a living architect
"whose built work demonstrates combination of
those qualities of talent, vision and commitment,
which has produced consistent and significant
contributions to humanity and the built
environment through the art of architecture."
GEHRY RESIDENCE
 When Frank Gehry and his wife
bought an existing house in 
Santa Monica, California, the
neighbour's did not have the
slightest idea that the corner
residence would soon be
transformed into a symbol of
deconstructivism. Gehry, however,
knew something had to be done to
the house before he moved in. His
solution was a bold one in the
1970's that involved the "balance of
fragment and whole, raw and
refined, new and old" and would
strike up controversy.
GEHRY RESIDENCE
The entrance is barely discernible amidst the
jutting angles of the exterior, which Gehry
created from wood, glass, aluminum, and chain-
link fencing. The apex of the old house peeks out
from within this mix of materials, giving the
impression that the house is consistently under
construction. 
In 1991 due to the Gehry family's growth which
involved two boys, the house had to be expanded.
Even though Gehry tried to maintain the same
style of the house, allowing the original design to
determine that of the addition, the house went
through significant changes. The residence
became much more "finished" which in turn
stirred up the angry voices of those who felt
strongly about the original raw deconstructivist
aesthetics. Nonetheless the Gehry House is still a
classic among California's architectural works.
INTERIOR
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