Letters to the Editor: A more personal remembrance of Frank Gehry’s kindness and warmth

To the editor: Many well-deserved tributes were written about Frank Gehry in the Dec. 6 Los Angeles Times, but I have one on a more personal level (“Frank Gehry, masterful architect who transformed L.A.’s urban landscape, dies at 96,” Dec. 5). In the early 2000s, when Disney Hall was still a work in progress, the head of the art department at Santa Monica High School was able to secure a tour for her students of Gehry’s unique art studio in Santa Monica. I was invited to accompany her on the tour.

Gehry himself welcomed the students with enthusiasm and warmth. In the center of the room was a model of Disney Hall, which he explained in great detail. He was generous in his time and answered every question, encouraging the students to consider a career in architecture. I believe the students in that room realized they were in the presence of a master and hopefully remember his kindness as I do today.

Aviva S. Monosson, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I walk by Gehry’s Santa Monica residence every day of my life (unless there is a huge downpour, which is not very often). His home, which filled our ordinary neighborhood with an architecture unlike anything we had visualized before, brings people from all over the world to experience something truly unique. His legacy will continue to thrive in our neighborhood and beyond.

Thank you, Frank, for giving us something entirely unique that continues to change each and every time we see it.

Pattie Earlix, Santa Monica