Frank Gehry Taught Us That Buildings Can Feel
"You don't visit a Frank Gehry building. You experience it."
There are architects who design buildings.
And then there are architects who change the way we understand architecture itself.
Frank Gehry belonged to the second group.
Several years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Frank Gehry during the ribbon cutting celebrating his vision for the Los Angeles River through my work with the Gateway Cities. Standing beside someone whose ideas have transformed cities around the world was a reminder that great architecture isn't about creating objects—it is about creating possibility.
Keir Jones with legendary architect Frank Gehry at the groundbreaking celebration for the Los Angeles River revitalization project. Gehry's vision has long demonstrated how thoughtful design can transform not only buildings, but entire communities.
Later, I had another unforgettable experience: walking through Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
No photograph can prepare you for what it feels like.
The stainless steel exterior catches California's changing light with an almost impossible fluidity, but the real magic happens once you step inside. The warmth of the Douglas fir, the curves that guide you naturally through the building, the way every space seems designed around human emotion rather than geometry—it feels less like entering a building and more like stepping into a piece of music.
That may be Gehry's greatest contribution.
His buildings aren't simply beautiful.
They make you feel something.
Why Gehry Matters
For decades, Frank Gehry challenged the assumption that architecture should be quiet, predictable, or purely functional.
His buildings are emotional.
Curious.
Sometimes playful.
Sometimes overwhelming.
Always memorable.
While critics often focused on his dramatic forms, what has always resonated with me is something much simpler: Gehry designed places people wanted to spend time in.
That's an idea we think about constantly at Canary House.
As we restore Laswell, we ask ourselves one question more than any other:
How should this room make someone feel?
Not what trend it follows.
Not how many photos it will inspire.
But what experience it creates.
The best architecture stays with you long after you've left.
A Gehry Tour: Five Places Every Design Lover Should Visit
1. Walt Disney Concert Hall — Los Angeles
The masterpiece.
Even if you never attend a concert, walk the exterior, explore the public spaces, and experience one of America's greatest civic buildings.
Why visit: It's architecture designed from the inside out, where music shaped every decision.
Learn more:
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Explore the incredible design story:
Getty's interactive story on Disney Hall
2. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao — Spain
Perhaps the single most influential museum built in the last fifty years.
Its opening transformed Bilbao from an industrial city into one of Europe's premier cultural destinations, giving rise to what planners now call "The Bilbao Effect."
Learn more:
Guggenheim Bilbao
3. Fondation Louis Vuitton — Paris
One of Gehry's most poetic works.
Its glass "sails" seem to float above the surrounding park, constantly changing with the weather and light.
Learn more:
Fondation Louis Vuitton Building
4. Dancing House — Prague
A reminder that architecture can smile.
Nicknamed "Fred & Ginger," the building appears to dance along the riverfront.
It remains one of Gehry's most joyful creations.
5. The Los Angeles River Vision
One of Gehry's final great civic efforts wasn't another museum.
It was an idea.
His work along the Los Angeles River imagined something much larger than flood control—parks, trails, public spaces, ecological restoration, and neighborhoods connected by one continuous public landscape.
As someone fortunate enough to attend the ribbon cutting celebrating this vision through Gateway Cities, I left inspired not only by the project itself, but by Gehry's belief that architecture could improve everyday life for millions of people.
Explore the project:
Los Angeles River Revitalization
Read about Gehry's vision:
Architecture Is an Experience
Frank Gehry once said that great architecture transfers feeling from the architect to the person experiencing the building.
That may be the simplest explanation of why his work continues to resonate.
Years after visiting Disney Hall, I don't remember every material.
I don't remember every measurement.
I remember how it made me feel.
And that's what great design does.
It reminds us that architecture isn't just something we look at.
It's something we live inside.
More Gehry
Explore Frank Gehry's current work and portfolio through his firm:
At Canary House, we believe the world's best homes, hotels, museums, and public spaces all have something in common:
They don't ask to be admired.
They invite you to experience them.