Frank Gehry, masterful architect who transformed L.A.’s urban landscape, dies at 96

River LA had the great fortune to work for over a decade with Frank Gehry beginning in 2015. He and his firm, Gehry Associates, immediately saw the potential to help transform the Los Angeles River corridor and therefore Los Angeles itself. Frank and his team put in countless hours of mostly unpaid hours analyzing, advocating, planning and designing a variety of built environments.

He and his team first created the most in-depth analysis ever done of the whole 51 miles of the River called the River Index. And then he envisioned a multi-building new complex where the L.A. River and the Rio Honda River intersect in south-east Los Angeles called the SELA Cultural Center, which will bring culture and services to the underserved neighborhoods south of downtown. Frank also led the creation of a new masterplan of the River for the County of Los Angeles that was adopted in 2022.

Frank was both a design visionary….and a relentless civic improver. His impact on the River and Los Angeles was enormous and will be felt for generations to come.

He will be missed.