At the end of my last post, I complained that the leaders of the Grand Avenue Project in downtown Los Angeles should be listening to and involving Frank Gehry in their development of the Bunker Hill district.
Today the LA Times noted that Gehry has indeed been chosen to design a 40- to 50-story skyscraper at the corner of Grand and 2nd Avenue, across the street from his Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Gehry will also have design input for parts of the retail and commercial area surrounding the concert hall. I hope he’s given a free reign and that the developer, Related Cos., doesn’t try to stifle the creativity that the area really needs in order to revitalize downtown and realize the vision that Gehry has had for the street for many years.
There is a tentative contract to make Gehry the lead architect for the first phase of construction. That would be a good thing. Rarely do we see a cohesive project when too many “cooks” are in the mix. Leave Frank Gehry alone in his adopted hometown to create his magic and leave his mark for generations to come.