A lot of famous architects wear funny glasses and do annoying things like name their firms “McPretentious + Partners.”
Not Frank Gehry.
Arguably the greatest living architect and certainly the most famous, Gehry seems like a down to earth, funny guy. He’s guested on “The Simpsons” and the PBS kids show “Arthur.” He’s a huge hockey fan (Congrats to the Ducks!) who gives his furniture designs names like “hat trick.”
That’s why the news that Gehry is going to design a $4 playgound at New York City’s Battery Park makes perfect sense. His first playground will be a “one-acre play space” with a “green” comfort station with a green roof and vegetal walls.”
Maybe the playground will look like his signature design: swooping, curving sheets of silver titanium. Actually, that’s probably not a good idea. I’m sure those sheets of titanium get really hot. Not that architects let things like the possibility of frying little kids get in the way of design. Gehry’s Case Western University buiding in Cleveland has to shut down the main entrance in the winter because sheets of ice and snow rocket down titanium walls and whack people on the head. The Web site Gothamist photoshopped a playground possibility, shown here.
Whatever it ends up looking like, it’s not going to be the monkey bars of your youth.