Gehry Residence


The Gehry Residence is architect Frank Gehry's own house. It was originally an extension, designed by Gehry and built around an existing Dutch colonial style house. It makes use of unconventional materials, such as chain-link fences and corrugated steel. It is sometimes considered one of the earliest deconstructivist buildings, although Gehry denies this.
The Gehry Residence is located in Santa Monica, California. In 1977, Frank and Berta Gehry bought a pink bungalow that was originally built in 1920. Gehry wanted to explore with the materials he was already using — metal, plywood, chain link fencing, and wood framing. In 1978, he chose to wrap the outside of the house with a new exterior while still leaving the old exterior visible. He hardly touched the rear and south facades and to the other sides of the house he wedged in tilted glass cubes. Then, in the fall of 1991, he chose to remodel due to the needs of a growing family that by then included two teenage boys. Many of Gehry's neighbors were not happy at the unusual building being built in their neighborhood.
As of 2016, the house is still owned by Frank Gehry. Though he has nearly finished construction of another residence overlooking Rustic Canyon, he plans to keep the Santa Monica house in the family.