Binoculars Building, by the provocative Frank Gehry

by | Dec 22, 2017 | architecture

binoculars-building-frank-gehry


This time let’s do a very quick visit, a building that I found by chance. I am referring to the Binoculars Building, by the famous architect Frank Gehry.

Before visiting a city, I usually try to make a list with Architectural Visits that I cannot miss. Nevertheless, my trip to Los Angeles was totally unexpected, and I did not have time to prepare it properly… Even so, I am delighted with all the places I could see. I hope I can keep posting more of them soon.

The Binoculars Building does not go unnoticed

But let’s focus in the curious Binoculars Building, which is located really close to the famous Venice Beach. I was going back to the hotel when I accidentally ran into a giant binoculars. As you can imagine, I could not help taking my camera.

This building was designed by Gehry in 1991 for the advertising agency Chiat/Day, although it was not finished until 2001 due to some problems at construction. It has three different parts with completely different styles. However, the one that draws all the attention is the giant binoculars. The sculpture was designed by Claes Oldenburg y Coosje van Brugge, and it is used as a main entrance.

We can consider that the Binoculars Building was one of the architect’s play with Postmodernism. We saw this architectural movement in the Guild House, so you can take a look to know more.

Los Angeles, a paradise for Frank Gehry’s followers

Frank Gehry, even though he was born in Canada, moved to LA a long time ago. As a result, there are several buildings by the architect in this city, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall is the most important one. This project from 2003, which reminds me too much to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, was his following building in LA after the Binoculars one.

Finally, Google leased the Binoculars Building in 2011 for offices. Can you imagine a more appropriate tenant for this singular building? I cannot think of a better one right now, so I will believe in destiny for the first time.

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Helena Ariza | Architect, passionate about photography and traveling. My purpose is to take you on a journey to the best architectural works.

 

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