Frank Gehry's "Cathedrals"

 The legendary architect Frank Gehry died last week at the age of 96 and his fame and Canadian roots warranted the front page of the Globe and Mail newspaper on the weekend.

 I discovered that Gehry began life as a Goldberg and his family was orthodox enough in its Judaism that as a boy he discussed the Talmud with his parents and grandmother with the give and take of exploration of the texts.

His family emigrated first to Northern Ontario and then California and experienced anti-semitism in both places. His first wife convinced his to change his name to Gehry because it sounded more gentile. 

                                                        Guggenheim Art Museum

Gehry wanted to be an artist but became an architect who infused his work with sculptural artistry. His early designs were more conventional but as the years went by he ventured into the astounding wave-like and fish-like structures that can now be found around the world. 

His two best-known projects are probably the Guggenheim Art Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Canadians may have experienced his work through the redesign and expansion of the Art Gallery of Ontario with its wonderful staircase. There are many more worth seeking out online 

                                                                       Disney Concert Hall 

These galleries and concert halls have a soaring, cathedral-like quality and I wondered if Gehry had ever designed a place of worship. From what I can gather he did design a modest chapel and bid on a cathedral but didn't receive the commission. That's unfortunate from my perspective and we can only imagine how he would have addressed a greater building dedicated to the glory of God. 

There is an interesting Frank Gehry connection within our family. Our daughter Emily was quite involved in the sales aspect of the Gehry-designed Forma condominium project in the entertainment district of Toronto, where the first tower is still under construction. She met him several times through her work and then was rewarded with a trip to Los Angeles where she visited his studio and the Disney Concert Hall. While Gehry was known for being somewhat tempermental through the years she says he was sweet and charming to the team and delighted in the fact that he was a character on the Simpson's animated show. He had a still from his episode on the wall of his studio (see below.)

                                 Daughter Emily with Frank Gehry in Los Angeles 

                                                      Frank Gehry in his Studio