Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-01-08

HONORING THE LIFE OF FRANK O. GEHRY

TaxesIsrael

Context

On 2026-01-08, Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA-36) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE LIFE OF FRANK O. GEHRY" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered Israel.

Full Text

HONORING THE LIFE OF FRANK O. GEHRY

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E16-E17] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LIFE OF FRANK O. GEHRY ______ HON. TED LIEU of california in the house of representatives Thursday, January 8, 2026 Mr. LIEU. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the remarkable life and legacy of the renowned architect Frank O. Gehry. He passed away on December 5, 2025, after a brief battle with a respiratory illness, Mr. Gehry was not only one of the most influential architects of our time, but also a visionary whose work reshaped skylines and inspired generations. Frank Owen Goldberg was born in Toronto in 1929 and later emigrated with his family to the United States, settling in Los Angeles, where he was raised. Working as a delivery driver while he studied at Los Angeles City College. Frank was inspired by his love of museums and art to study architecture. He later graduated from the University of Southern California's School of Architecture in 1954. Around that time, fearing the negative impact of antisemitism on his architectural career, Frank was persuaded to change his last name to ``Gehry.'' He moved with his family as he began his studies at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design but left the program before completion and returned to Los Angeles where his career in architecture began. First working for Victor Gruen, the renowned Austrian American architect, and later the French architect, Andre Remonde, Frank quickly built his own unique design styles, and he returned to California. In 1967, he founded Frank Gehry and Associates in Los Angeles. His earliest designs included Santa Monica Place, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the California Aerospace Museum, the California Museum of Science and Industry, and the Norton House in Venice, California. His designs combined imagination with civic purpose, producing buildings that were as much works of art as they were places for community life. Mr. Gehry's daring and modern approach would later culminate in globally celebrated landmarks such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, cementing his reputation as one of the most influential architects of the modern era. Even in the later years of his life, he continued to devote his talents to projects in creative arts and fashion, including stores for Louis Vuitton and Bernard Arnault in Beverly Hills, California, and implementing the final touches on a 1,000-seat concert hall for the Colburn School of Music, right across the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Through these achievements, he inspired residents, policymakers, and artists alike to see architecture as a force for imagination and renewal. His ability to blend bold vision with functionality was extraordinary, and his legacy will endure in the skylines and communities he transformed. Mr. Gehry received numerous honors, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize (1989), the National Medal of Arts, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In addition to these iconic works, Mr. Gehry dedicated significant time to pro bono projects and public service. He was the founder of Turnaround Arts: California, a nonprofit organization that expands access to the arts in under-resourced public elementary and middle [[Page E17]] schools across California. In 2014, he began work with the LA River Revitalization Corporation to develop the Los Angeles River Master Plan, a groundbreaking restoration of the Los Angeles River to create green space for the communities and wildlife that thrive along its path. In 2015, Frank designed the Children's Institute in Watts, waiving his design fee to support families who had experienced violence and poverty. He also designed the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) center, completed in 2021, which provides free instruments, music training, and academic support to students from disadvantaged neighborhoods. These projects exemplify his belief that architecture could serve not only as art, but as a force for equity and opportunity. In his passing, Mr. Gehry is survived by his wife, Berta, and three children. I am thankful for the cultural contributions he made in Los Angeles County and his global design landscape that has centered architectural design to serve people. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew him. ____________________

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HONORING THE LIFE OF FRANK O. GEHRY Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E16-E17] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LIFE OF FRANK O. GEHRY ______ HON. TED LIEU of california in the house of representatives Thursday, January 8, 2026 Mr. LIEU. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the remarkable life and legacy of the renowned architect Frank O. Gehry. He passed away on December 5, 2025, after a brief battle with a respiratory illness, Mr. Gehry was not only one of the most influential architects of our time, but also a visionary whose work reshaped skylines and inspired generations. Frank Owen Goldberg was born in Toronto in 1929 and later emigrated with his family to the United States, settling in Los Angeles, where he was raised. Working as a delivery driver while he studied at Los Angeles City College. Frank was inspired by his love of museums and art to study architecture. He later graduated from the University of Southern California's School of Architecture in 1954. Around that time, fearing the negative impact of antisemitism on his architectural career, Frank was persuaded to change his last name to ``Gehry.'' He moved with his family as he began his studies at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design but left the program before completion and returned to Los Angeles where his career in architecture began. First working for Victor Gruen, the renowned Austrian American architect, and later the French architect, Andre Remonde, Frank quickly built his own unique design styles, and he returned to California. In 1967, he founded Frank Gehry and Associates in Los Angeles. His earliest designs included Santa Monica Place, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the California Aerospace Museum, the California Museum of Science and Industry, and the Norton House in Venice, California. His designs combined imagination with civic purpose, producing buildings that were as much works of art as they were places for community life. Mr. Gehry's daring and modern approach would later culminate in globally celebrated landmarks such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, cementing his reputation as one of the most influential architects of the modern era. Even in the later years of his life, he continued to devote his talents to projects in creative arts and fashion, including stores for Louis Vuitton and Bernard Arnault in Beverly Hills, California, and implementing the final touches on a 1,000-seat concert hall for the Colburn School of Music, right across the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Through these achievements, he inspired residents, policymakers, and artists alike to see architecture as a force for imagination and renewal. His ability to blend bold vision with functionality was extraordinary, and his legacy will endure in the skylines and communities he transformed. Mr. Gehry received numerous honors, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize (1989), the National Medal of Arts, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In addition to these iconic works, Mr. Gehry dedicated significant time to pro bono projects and public service. He was the founder of Turnaround Arts: California, a nonprofit organization that expands access to the arts in under-resourced public elementary and middle [[Page E17]] schools across California. In 2014, he began work with the LA River Revitalization Corporation to develop the Los Angeles River Master Plan, a groundbreaking restoration of the Los Angeles River to create green space for the communities and wildlife that thrive along its path. In 2015, Frank designed the Children's Institute in Watts, waiving his design fee to support families who had experienced violence and poverty. He also designed the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) center, completed in 2021, which provides free instruments, music training, and academic support to students from disadvantaged neighborhoods. These projects exemplify his belief that architecture could serve not only as art, but as a force for equity and opportunity. In his passing, Mr. Gehry is survived by his wife, Berta, and three children. I am thankful for the cultural contributions he made in Los Angeles County and his global design landscape that has centered architectural design to serve people. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew him. ____________________