COMMENTARY FROM THE COMMUNITY

Frank Gehry: ‘I just want my buildings to be good neighbors’

Sid Good

Moonlight reflecting oldthe Peter B. Lewis Building at Case Western Reserve University, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry.

David Petlciewicz, cleveland.com

More than 20 years ago, I worked with Frank Gehry (of blessed memory) on a toy project. At the time, my marketing company was focused exclusively in the kids’ market for product development, licensing, and strategic planning.

One of my favorite toys growing up in the ’60s was the Girder & Panel Building Set by Kenner. Buildings of any kind could be constructed- as long as they were square or rectangular. More than 30 years later, Frank Gehry’s architectural brilliance totally redefined what a building is or could be.

My brother (and business partner) and I approached Frank about creating an architectural-based construction set that could inspire kids to create open-ended buildings and environments of all shapes and sizes.

Frank, always open to new ideas and one ofthe most humble, candid, and down-to-earth people we had ever encountered in business, loved the idea, and encouraged us to approach potential partners in the toy industry. Since Frank never worked on spec, he was only interested in working with companies who were full partners in the development of any project.

Every toy company that we approached turned us down.

Most claimed they had never heard of Gehry, weren’t willing to support the subsequent development, or claimed that their customer base didn’t care who Gehry was – regardless of what he could create on their behalf.

The one exception was LEGO.

Frank and I traveled to Billund, Denmark, LEGO’s headquarters, to explore this exciting opportunity with top management. The meetings were very productive, with Frank offering to have his staff work with LEGO’s research and development group in Denmark as well as have professionals from LEGO work with his firm in Los Angeles.

The noted goal was to leverage each company’s capabilities in the most comprehensive way. Frank also offered to create miniature versions of his iconic buildings at LEGOLAND theme parks throughout the world. Frank’s generosity of spirit and open-ended creativity truly expanded this unique opportunity.

But it was not to be. LEGO management determined that it could not financially support or rework the terms of this exciting initiative.

Frank took it in stride, acknowledging how important it is to work with people who are truly committed to the vision and value of the work.

Frank did have an opportunity to share his creativity with kids when we facilitated his guest appearance on Marc Brown’s PBS animated series, “Arthur.” Frank was the inspiration to Arthur and his friends when they were building a tree house in the episode, “Castles in the Sky.”

During our association with Frank, he was working on the Peter B. Lewis Building at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. When we met at his studios in California, Frank was always generous with his time to tour the extensive display of building models currently in development. As part ofthe opening ofthe Peter B. Lewis Building, Frank participated in a symposium to discuss his work.

During Q&A, Frank was asked how he reconciled placing his outrageously designed buildings amongst other buildings that were very different from each other.

Frank simply stated that, “I just want my buildings to be good neighbors” – a profound lesson for us all.

Good is president of GoodMarketingInc., based in Cleveland.