I offer a heartfelt thanks to Dr. Al Katz, a volunteer at the Center, for giving us a special private tour of the facility.For some years Frank Gehry had refused to design a building for Las Vegas but the mission of the center (outpatient treatment and research facility with a focus on Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington 's Diseases, and ALS [Lou Gehrig's Disease]) as well as the influence of its founder, Larry Ruvo, changed his mind. On the location: "Gehry said he liked the challenge of designing a building on a corner of a big 61-acre former railroad yard west of downtown Las Vegas. It is also flanked by a massive wholesale furniture exposition and convention center, a retail outlet shopping mall and a concert and performing arts center due to open in 2012" (Huffington Post: 05/21/2010) . Google map is on the left. Aerial view on the right was photographed from the inside of the Stratosphere, the tallest structure in Las Vegas. | ||
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A controversial buildingCalling this building his "Eyesore of the Month," architecture critic James Howard Kunstler finds the building's design inappropriate for its purpose: "If I had a problem with my brain, I would not be reassured arriving at this place. The implicit sadism is impressive." Others see the building as effective in calling attention to the work the center does--as a spectacular marketing tool. This sculptural wing, the Activity Center, available for rent, is a single-room event space with an undulating stainless roof (so-called "canopy"). It has 199 windows, none of which are alike! See interior views here. |
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Views from the south side of the buildingThe center is comprised of two separate wings connected by an open courtyard. |
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For other works by Gehry on this site, see this index under Gehry: Index
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