According to a source at the Wall Street Journal Frank Gehry has been selected to design the entire Disney Concert Hall adjacent project, consisting of hotels, apartments, restaurants and retail and entertainment enterprises.
from today's Wall Street Journal (subscription required to read full online article)...
PLOTS AND PLOYS
Neighborhood Architect
By ALEX FRANGOS
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
July 13, 2005; Page B6
Frank O. Gehry doesn't have to worry about what gets built next to his landmark Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
Developer Related Cos. has asked Mr. Gehry to design the entire $1.8 billion Grand Avenue redevelopment, a massive cluster of hotels, apartments, restaurants and retail and entertainment enterprises adjacent to his swooping performance icon in Los Angeles. A spokesman for Gehry Partners confirmed the job.
Kenneth A. Himmel, an executive at Related, says Mr. Gehry will have a "pretty strong free hand" in the project, which is meant to breathe life into the desolate downtown L.A. strip. Plans include a 40- to 50-story tower across the street from the concert hall.
New York-based Related dabbled with a series of architects before putting Mr. Gehry in sole charge. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Thom Mayne's firm Morphosis, Elkus/Manfredi Architects, and Brenda Levin were all involved at some point. The two sides are expected to sign a contract in early August.
The commission gives Mr. Gehry, 76 years old, his second immense urban redevelopment project. He is also the only architect for Forest City Ratner's $3.5 billion arena, office and housing plan for Brooklyn's Atlantic Rail Yards.
7 Comments
I think I remember reading in Craig Whitaker's "Architecture and the American Dream" that one thing that really worked for the Disney Concert Hall was the contrast between it and the surrounding area.. I can't remember if that's where I read that or for sure if it was the Disney (pretty sure though).. but I wonder how this will affect that.. any thoughts?
my tangent:
I think FOG will probably let the concert hall keep the focus, designing the other stuff to frame the concert hall or what have you...however, I have never seen him design any "supporting cast" type of architecture.
His stuff is always playing the lead role, although (in the case of Chicago's Millenium Park) he can play nice with others...
i think we can look to his brooklyn proposal as to what to expect.
L.A.'s Skyline to Get Gehry Touch, from today's LA Times
eep. hello las grand avenue strip.
Um... just triple the budget + time frame NOW, so there are no hard feelings later.
-sirimiri
I can't imagine Gehry trying to upstage Disney Hall. He knows it's his best work, so I'm expecting something more subdued.
I'm more interested in knowing who the supporting architects are going to be and how they will respond.
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