Celebrating the Legacy of Frank Gehry: A 60 Minutes Retrospective
In the world of architecture, few names resonate as profoundly as Frank Gehry. Remembered for his innovative and often controversial designs, Gehry redefined the visual landscape of modern architecture. In a 2002 profile by Scott Pelley, Gehry was likened to the very titans of various fields—Einstein, Picasso, Jordan—underscoring his remarkable influence and significance in architectural history.
As the artist behind iconic structures such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Gehry’s work transcended mere building design; it became cultural landmarks, challenging the norms and inviting dialogue. With his passing at the age of 96, we reflect on his extraordinary journey through this captivating segment from “60 Minutes,” a program that has consistently brought compelling stories to viewers since 1968.
“60 Minutes” remains the most successful television broadcast in history, showcasing hard-hitting investigative reports, intimate interviews, and revealing profiles of notable figures. Frank Gehry’s profile is no exception, offering viewers a glimpse into the mind of a true visionary.
Join us as we pay tribute to Gehry’s monumental contributions to architecture and explore his legacy through this special archival footage. Don’t forget to subscribe for more insightful segments and stories from “60 Minutes.”
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Video “Architect Frank Gehry | 60 Minutes Archive” was uploaded on 12/05/2025 to Youtube Channel 60 Minutes




































his buildings are very ugly
A Legend, love him or hate him, he changed the architecture world towards the better. RIP Frank, Thankyou for everything 🐟
I knew of Frank Gehry because of Arthur on PBS. R.I.P. Frank
Extraordinary vision. Stardust once again.
"You know, the stupidest guy in my fraternity became an architect after he flunked out of dental school "
Rest in peace…
Thank you for reposting this, 60 minutes.
R.I.P. the Great Architect of Post modern. His work will be in the architecture history for the next ge.,
RIP Frank Gehry. Age 98. 12/5/25
In my view a very forgettable architect.
Master Gehry thank you for the inspiration.
Requiescat in pace.
He clearly subscribed to the school of thought where it is better to be unique than be the best. Cause a lot of his work I wouldn’t consider beautiful but rather bewildering. Nonetheless he will be remembered as of the greats
I took a tour seeing the Disney concert hall and thought it was unique, imagining what it was like inside music playing and visited inside of mopop thrice, rip
Just googled him. He's still alive and 96 years old.
R.I.P
I remember watching this when it aired. I was in my last year of architecture school and it left an impression on me
Frank Gehry is inspiring, he makes me believe anyone can be an architect. Just take a napkin and fold it a few times and presto: you’ve designed a stunning modern building! 😂
Frank Gehry was the Jeff Koons of the architecture world. He was a postmodern prankster.
A true designer.
More than a decade ago, I was in Vegas driving around and a structure caught my eyes. Got closer and saw an amazing building. Or was it? At the time, I had not heard the name Gehry. But soon I learned about this amazing architect and came to admire his work around the world. I even devoted a Pinterest to everything Gehry! His art lives on. RIP Mr. Gehry.
I went to see his house and met one of his neighbors. They weren’t so impressed until I told them I had come from Germany to see it. I explained I had been inspired by it. We walked for a while. They shared some life truths with me. We had enriched each other. Thank you frank.
Great architect. Saw the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao this year. As stunning and beautiful as I had thought, when I saw the pictures when it was first built.
0:02 60 Minutes Rewind introduction
0:06 Introducing Frank Gehry’s impact on architecture
0:20 Gehry as a world-changing figure
0:23 From truck driver to architect fascinated by shapes
0:27 Dream images and revolutionary designs requiring computers
0:37 Demolishing traditional expectations of buildings
0:42 Changing how we think about architecture forever
0:48 Gehry’s self-doubt in contrast to his reputation
0:50 Along the Nervion River in Bilbao, Spain
0:56 The Guggenheim Museum as Gehry’s greatest achievement
1:02 A building more important than the art inside
1:07 The Guggenheim called a miracle
1:10 Gehry’s initial reaction: thinking it was a disaster
1:19 Feeling self-conscious and guilty about the building
1:31 Worrying what he had “done to these people”
1:41 Expressing doubts instead of praise to his clients
1:45 Wishing he’d changed things and feeling like a basket case
1:50 Gehry admits he goes through this with every project
1:52 His shy, rumpled demeanor vs. bold projects
1:58 Attitude in the angles, conviction in the curves
2:04 Work intentionally out of line
2:07 Time reveals the evolution in Gehry’s designs
2:13 The long evolution leading to Bilbao
2:18 Early hints: American Center in Paris
2:21 Toledo Visual Arts Center in Ohio
2:26 Weisman Museum in Minnesota
2:31 Critics rave, but public reactions matter more
2:36 Watching faces outside Gehry’s buildings
2:40 Cameras come out in Venice Beach, California
2:44 Prague in the Czech Republic
2:47 Bilbao, Spain
2:50 Recognizing a star even if they don’t know his name
2:52 Bilbao Guggenheim as a world-changing building
2:58 Paul Goldberger on architecture as spectator sport
3:07 Drawing non–architecture buffs to Bilbao
3:14 People traveling to see a modern “cathedral of our age”
3:27 Comparing the museum to a cathedral
3:30 Gehry’s professional journey starting with his own house
3:32 The modest Santa Monica home he still lives in
3:38 Neighbor’s reaction: “I don’t like it”
3:46 Calling the house strange
3:51 Imagining it as your next-door neighbor
3:53 Wrapping a middle-class home in steel, glass, and chain link
3:59 Using materials seen in local yards but usually ignored
4:05 Two big campers and chain-link fences as inspiration
4:10 Trying to fit into a middle-class neighborhood
4:15 Geniuses rarely fitting in
4:19 Creating a piece of modern art on Main Street
4:21 Arguing the neighborhood itself is visually disruptive
4:27 Contrasting roofs and clashing house compositions
4:40 Conventional houses still in visual collision
4:47 Seeing neighboring houses as intrusions
4:52 City language as many voices talking at once
4:59 Using that language to design his house
5:02 The 1978 house that made Gehry famous
5:06 Philip Johnson’s attention and praise
5:11 Johnson on Gehry’s importance
5:16 Calling Gehry the best architect in the world
5:18 Best of today’s architects
5:21 Ranking Gehry against Wright, Gropius, and Mies
5:28 “He beat us all”
5:32 Gehry as a major departure from past architecture
5:37 The search for new architecture
5:42 Thinking they’d invented modern architecture until Gehry
5:44 A genius arrives and breaks the mold
5:48 Breaking concrete and glass—literally and figuratively
5:53 “Demolition” of architecture as we know it
5:55 Gehry’s Santa Monica studio as ground zero
6:02 135 staff working on up to 35 designs at once
6:10 Gehry Incorporated, but far from traditional business
6:15 No T-squares in sight
6:21 Gehry’s lone T-square hidden in a closet at home
6:23 Total reliance on computers now
6:27 Impossible to execute his work without computers
6:29 Gehry admits he doesn’t know how the tech works
6:31 Introducing Rick Smith, aerospace engineer
6:36 Smith grounding Gehry’s flights of fancy
6:40 Gehry sculpts; Smith translates shapes into data
6:46 Turning imagination into computer models
6:49 Gehry dreaming up seemingly unbuildable structures
6:51 Engineers setting boundaries of what’s possible
6:53 Gehry buildings beginning as sculptures
6:58 Architect as artist crafting the initial form
7:00 Smith tracing shapes with a digitizer
7:03 Scribing curves into the computer
7:08 Downloading Gehry’s imagination into digital form
7:12 Gehry describing the process as painful
7:17 Holding a “dream image” in his head
7:20 Comparing the digital version to a dried-out image
7:24 Struggling to keep the dream alive while looking at the screen
7:30 Computer “takes the life out of it”
7:34 Comparing it to holding a finger in a flame
7:39 Engineers calculating support for impossible curves
7:45 Modeling the structure for Disney Concert Hall
7:52 Isolating individual structural pieces
7:57 Prefabricated sections delivered to the site
7:59 Assembling like Tinker Toys or an erector set
8:05 A process that lets Gehry make buildings “dance”
8:09 The Fred and Ginger tower in Prague
8:13 Human form inspiration in Gehry’s designs
8:19 Emotional origins of his architectural language
8:22 Babyhood comfort in folds of fabric
8:31 Seeing his buildings as comforting and embracing
8:39 People affirming that feeling to him
8:40 Sentiment rooted in a modest childhood
8:45 Growing up with family but little money in Canada
8:50 Weekends in his grandfather’s hardware shop
8:53 Childhood in the hardware store
8:57 Playing with nails, screws, glass, and pipe
9:00 Fixing toasters and clocks with his grandfather
9:03 Loving the hands-on work
9:07 Move to LA and discovery of architecture night class
9:13 Architecture hitting him “like a ton of bricks”
9:18 Before changing buildings, he changed his name
9:22 Gehry is not his original name
9:26 Born Frank Goldberg
9:28 Why he changed it
9:30 A personal story involving his former wife
9:37 Anti-Semitism and fear shaping the decision
9:42 Experiencing anti-Semitism in Canada
9:46 Concern about raising a child with the same burden
9:52 Being asked what he went through
9:55 Beaten up as a child for “killing Christ”
9:59 The world’s most famous architect not named Goldberg
10:04 He is now Frank Gehry
10:07 “Pony Paloney” joke and self-deprecation
10:08 Staying true to his roots at age 72
10:12 Still “playing in the hardware store” metaphorically
10:16 Trying to fix things through architecture
10:19 From Jewish suffering to designing places of healing
10:21 Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem
10:24 A refuge for cancer patients in honor of Maggie Keswick Jencks
10:31 Concept beginning from a lighthouse symbol of hope
10:36 Corrugated roof reflecting clouds and sky
10:44 Moving shadows softening the space
10:46 Inspiration from a Vermeer painting
10:50 A woman with a corrugated white shawl
10:55 Shawl reminding him of Maggie and sparking the idea
11:01 Playing with corrugation as an homage
11:02 Critics comparing Gehry to Picasso
11:07 Goldberger on not everyone “getting” Gehry
11:13 Some people finding the buildings weird
11:18 Public discomfort with weirdness
11:21 Questions about how well the buildings function
11:26 Masterworks sometimes criticized for not being ordinary
11:31 Break in the story for commercials
11:38 Question: greatest building ever designed
11:41 Gehry’s answer: San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (San Carlino)
11:45 Small Roman church by Borromini
11:48 Gehry seeing all his own “moves” in it
11:52 Feeling he’s done nothing new since
11:57 Built hundreds of years ago without computers
11:58 Architect Borromini’s suicide
12:03 Gehry admitting the story scares him
12:08 Observing Gehry’s self-deprecation during the interview
12:11 Claiming he’s done nothing new and fearing disaster
12:17 Yet finally peering over his wall of insecurity
12:20 Starting to see what others see in his work
12:28 Returning to Bilbao with fresh eyes
12:30 Seeing the building “for the first time” as something else
12:36 Feeling detached enough to truly observe it
12:41 Noticing how the building interacts with the river and bridge
12:48 Wondering if he really figured all of that out himself
❤
Genius Architect. Tremendously grateful for the eternal & beautiful designs you created in this world. RIP sir.
ADIOS MAESTRO
Santa Monica home is hideous
RIP HIS ARCHITECTURE IS BEYOND TIME
He says he's in a middle class neighborhood. Santa Monica is not a middle class neighborhood 😂
I’d stick with HH Richardson, Louis Sullivan, heck even with FLW.
What soulless, horrible structures he designed. No redeeming qualities at all.
He perfected the middle finger response to objectionable aesthetes.
I find his architecture repugnant…sorry.
! ! ! "We control nothing, but we influence everything" Brian Klaas, author of "Fluke" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtn2Wxai-ug&t=41s
! ! ! 56:05 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5Q_iFGO0Ng&t=3388s Dr. Theodore Schwartz, professor at Weill Cornell Medical School and one of America’s preeminent NEUROSURGEONs, author of "Gray Matters"
! ! ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc6m0Uyis-8 Oliver Sacks, NEUROLOGIST
! ! ! "We are nothing more or less than the cumulative biological and environmental luck, over which we had no control, that has brought us to any moment" Stanford University Professor NEUROSCIENTIST Dr. Robert Sapolsky, author of "Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst" and "Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv38taDUpwQ
! ! ! "We do not choose to change, we are changed by circumstance" Neuroscientist Dr. Robert Sapolsky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFg1ysJ1oUs
Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to be an architect, and the first building of his I saw was the giant binoculars in Santa Monica, when my dad would bring home copies of Architectural Digest. Later, in college, I saw more of his work in books and magazines, and without a doubt, the Bilbao Museum broke new ground in architecture and made him one of the most prominent star architects of recent times. He will undoubtedly be a great influence on future generations. RIP Frank Gehry.