Gehry House in Los Angeles Frank Gehry\'s

Gehry House in Los Angeles

Frank Gehry's Personal House

Born in early 1929, Frank Gehry would later become one of the most prominent post-modernist architects the world had ever seen ("Frank Gehry: Biography" 1). He went to school at both Harvard and USC for architecture and is renowned for his unique style of combining textures, tones, and shapes. He is truly "among the most acclaimed architects of the 20th century, and is known for his use of bold, postmodern shapes and unusual fabrications" ("Frank Gehry: Biography" 1). The architect is responsible for some of the most amazing public buildings and private residences throughout the United States. Some of his crowning achievements here in Los Angeles include the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Yet, it is the construction of some of his most lavish private residences, like his own personal house in Santa Monica in Los Angeles, California, that truly attests to his mastery of design.

The design is truly unique, a testament both to the rich and luxurious lifestyle of Los Angeles, but also of owners who truly appreciate the art of postmodern architecture. Gehry definitely combined this love of post modern architecture with the comfort of a typical home dwelling. Houses built by Gehry have "been called many things: free-form architecture, career watershed, family home, status symbol, sculpture" ("Most Beautiful Houses in the World" 1). Yet, this house is even more unique, because it is the famous designer's choice of the perfect home. This makes the house extraordinary special because it was intended for the residence of him and his wife. It has so many special personal touches, yet it also created a worldwide movement.

The house itself was originally bought by Gehry and his wife in 1977 and finished in 1978 (Friedman 1). In a beautiful Santa Monica neighborhood, nestled just west of Los Angeles, the couple fell in love with an existing building, a bungalow built in the early 1920's that Gehry saw enormous potential with. According to the research, "Frank Gehry's private home in Santa Monica, California began with a traditional tract home with clapboard siding and a gambrel roof" (Craven 1). The first to be evolved was the exterior. One report claims that "The apex of the old house peeks out from within this mix of materials, giving the impression that the house is consistently under construction" (Perez 1). There was extensive work done to the house to expand both the inside and out. His work on the exterior was most striking, however. Still, the original house played a huge role in the finished design, as "Gehry made an extension to the ground floor which wrapped the little house on three sides. The old house appeared, in that way, as a familiar object within the new house" (Husanna 1). He then gutted the interior to freshen up the place to his liking, but kept the coziness of the previous house in striking contrast to the postmodern take on the outside. It was strange for those within the field to see what he did to "his own traditional little Santa Monica house in the late 1970s" ("Frank Gehry's First Deconstructivist Buildings" 1). This only added depth and complexity to his style and inspirations behind his world-famous designs.

Yet, there are commercial elements within the design as well. For example, the exterior walls look extremely commercial. It features commercial materials and constructions throughout the exterior walls. Soon after originally purchasing the house in 1978, Gehry decided to encase the original home with chain, sheet metal, and wood framing. He "used corrugated metal and chain link" all throughout the exterior of the house (Craven 1). All of these materials were found in the original design of the home, Gehry wanted to keep with some of the original materials in order to create a new rebirth of the house with a postmodern twist. Gehry took apart parts of the old bungalow and expanded them using a deconstructivist style. For example, the kitchen was extended and built with a roof framed in with visible wooden blacks and glass skylights ("Frank Gehry's First Deconstructivist Buildings" 1). Yet, the enclosure does not completely block or take over the original bungalow style. According to the research, Gehry "enveloped a traditional home with a radical new design" (Craven 1). Gehry chose to leave open sections, so that the interior building could still be visible from the street. This created an interesting play between old and new that has a deeper meaning to represent the cultural changes occurring in larger Los Angeles as well. There were further additions in 1991 because of the need for more space (Perez 1).