Thoughts on Gehry’s Visit

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When I first heard John DeWolf say that he was going tobring Frank Gehry back to ColumbiaI didn’t really expect the visit to be much more than window dressing. As muchI have applauded the plans to remake Columbia’sdowntown, my expectations for the future cityscape were modest. I fullyexpected that the end result would resemble something like the Annapolis Town Centre at Parole project, nice but not exactly inspiring.

Annapolis Town Centre at Parole

I may have underestimated John on this score. Judging fromwhat I read in this story by Edward Gunts in The Sun, Columbia may set a new standard in neo urbandesign.
“He would like Gehry, who has gained international fame forhis highly sculptural buildings, to do more work in Columbia. DeWolf visited Gehry in California last month tooutline his company's latest redevelopment plans and issue a personalinvitation for the architect to return.

"We're working with world class architects all over the country,"DeWolf said. "We want to use him" in Columbia.”
It would be a fitting bookend to Columbia’s development. Before he gainedinternational fame for buildings like the Guggenheim-Bilbao and the Dancing House in Prague, Frank Gehry designed buildings for Jim Rouse in Baltimoreand Columbia.His Columbia imprint is seen in MerriweatherPost Pavilion (1967), the Exhibit Center Building(1967) and the former Rouse Company headquarters building (1974) and theBanneker Road Fire Station. In a sea of suburban office park architecture, thesebuildings stand out.
I actually had the opportunity to meet Frank Gehry in 1980when The Rouse Company was developing a shopping mall in his adopted hometown, Santa Monica, California.Gehry designed the mall and would often sit in on our development progress meetings held in a vacantstorefront across the street from the site. He even lent the development teamhis conference room table and chairs which were made out of cardboard.
Of course its too early to tell what role the iconic architect mayplay in Columbia’smakeover, but the very thought of what that role might be is exciting. Twoyears ago in this post, I pondered whether we should be concerned with the newleadership of the Howard Hughes Corporation after they fired Greg Hamm. Itappears those concerns were misplaced. These guys are the real deal.