10 new Frank Gehry buildings in New York? More opportunities for hilariously bad ad campaigns.
Think of it as Bloomberg’s grands projets. Speaking at the opening of the Signature Theatre–designed by Gehry and his third in the city–the mayor announced to the crowd that he and the world’s most famous architect were planning what will prove a very fruitful collaboration: to build 10 new buildings in the two years remaining of Bloomberg’s term. “You should know that Frank and I had a conversation backstage,” the mayor said, looking over at Gehry before continuing, “and we both committed to each other that we would get 10 more Frank Gehry projects going here—in the next 700 days. If my math is any good, Frank, that is one every 70 days, so we should meet some time later today to get going.”
As the Observer facetiously points out, the mayor seems undaunted at the complex tasks of fixing schools or reforming pensions, not too mention altering his unfortunate views on food stamps. Instead he will ostensibly set his mind to the task of creating a grand architectural legacy to mirror that of François Mitterrand, France’s longest-serving president whose exorbitantly expensive cultural projects changed the face of Paris while achieving few of the project’s stated Socialist goals. Granted, it’s all just talk, and it remains unlikely that 10 new Gehry buildings will rise up in the city any time soon, however fond the mayor is of the Gehry’s sleek, nostalgic-tinged Beekman Tower.