Frank Gehry, Architect, Former SCI-Arc Faculty Member and Trustee, passes away at 96

The SCI-Arc community mourns the passing of Frank O. Gehry, the groundbreaking architect whose sculptural, unconventional, and deeply human buildings transformed the practice of architecture worldwide. Gehry died today at his home in Santa Monica at the age of 96.

Widely described as “the most important architect of our age,” Gehry reshaped contemporary design through a career spanning more than six decades. His landmark works, including Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, and projects across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, redefined how architecture can generate emotion, civic identity, and cultural meaning. His accolades include the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the AIA and RIBA Gold Medals, the National Medal of Arts, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

A Deep and Lasting Relationship with SCI-Arc

Gehry taught at SCI-Arc and served as a member of the Board of Trustees for more than three decades, beginning in 1990. His critiques, lectures, leadership, and generosity toward students helped define SCI-Arc’s culture of experimentation, independence, and intellectual curiosity. His voice, candid, humorous, and insistent on authenticity, became part of the school’s pedagogical DNA.

Director & CEO Winka Dubbeldam notes:

“Frank Gehry’s generosity toward younger generations of architects has opened up the architectural discourse. I remember visiting him with students, and he insisted on giving us a personal tour of his office. His work—and the curiosity, fearlessness, and generosity that defined it—changed the course of contemporary architecture and inspired generations of designers to reimagine what architecture can be. He introduced and shared important innovations, such as the use of CATIA in architecture, that continue to shape the practice today.

Of course, his influence at SCI-Arc runs deep, from his time teaching here to his decades of service on our Board of Trustees. His impact on the discipline is immeasurable, and the spirit of experimentation he championed remains central to our identity. We are profoundly grateful for his legacy and his contributions to our community.”

In 2012, Gehry and his wife Berta established the Gehry Prize with a $100,000 gift to SCI-Arc, awarded annually to the most outstanding Graduate Thesis project. The prize reflects his belief that architecture must be both courageous and socially engaged.

In 2017, Gehry returned to SCI-Arc to teach the studio The Future of Prison, challenging students to rethink issues of incarceration and justice through a social, architectural, and civic lens. It remains one of the school’s most consequential vertical studios, an example of Gehry’s commitment to architecture as a tool for social responsibility.

Recognizing His Extraordinary Legacy

In 2019, SCI-Arc awarded Gehry an honorary M.Arch degree in recognition of his immense contributions to architecture and education. In accepting the degree, he reflected on his early years teaching at SCI-Arc, recalling “rough times,” uncertainty, and the remarkable journey of the school and its community, closing with encouragement to the graduates: “Keep on going.”

An Unparalleled Archive of Gehry’s Ideas

SCI-Arc maintains one of the most extensive public archives of Gehry’s lectures and conversations, capturing his evolving ideas and his close dialogue with the school’s community:

• 1975 Lectures (Part 1 & 2)
  https://channel.sciarc.edu/browse/frank-o-gehry-1975-part-1-of-2
  https://channel.sciarc.edu/browse/frank-o-gehry-1975-part-2-of-2

• 1976 Interview with Roland Coate Jr.
  https://channel.sciarc.edu/browse/frank-o-gehry-roland-coate-jr-interviews-april-23-1976

• 1979 Lectures (Part 1 & 2)
  https://channel.sciarc.edu/browse/frank-o-gehry-november-7-1979-part-1
  https://channel.sciarc.edu/browse/frank-o-gehry-november-7-1979-part-2-of-2

• 2015 Conversation with Eric Owen Moss
  https://channel.sciarc.edu/browse/frank-o-gehry-eric-owen-moss-march-4-2015

These recordings form a rare, rich archive of Gehry’s thoughts, capturing the evolution of a designer who, as former SCI-Arc Director Hernán Díaz Alonso noted, represents “what an architect should be.” “Frank Gehry is the definition of architecture,” he continued, “and his impact is something SCI-Arc, as well as the rest of the world, benefits from.”

SCI-Arc extends its deepest condolences to Gehry’s family, collaborators, and all who continue to draw inspiration from his extraordinary vision.