Frank Gehry's generous and democratic architecture

Ifirst met Frank O. Gehry, who died Dec. 5 at his California home, in November of 1982 when I was an undergraduate architecture student at the University of Virginia. He was known at the time for his own home in Santa Monica — a roller coaster of a design that slashed plywood, corrugated metal and chain link through the carcass of a modest traditional bungalow. Assuming that he had his own version of the lit-crit-based theories of architecture that were popular at the time, my nascent architectural mind wanted to know something of the arcane personal theory behind it. “What’s the deal with the asphalt floor in your dining room,” I asked. “It’s functional,” Gehry replied. “We move the table and chairs out and hose it down.” I was so floored by his direct and unassuming response that I have