Internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry has selected El Segundo as the home for his new offices and design studios, it was confirmed today. The public announcement was made to a large group of civic and business leaders by Mayor Kelly McDowell during the annual State of the City address.
The move to El Segundo from west Los Angeles resulted from Gehry Partners outgrowing their current facility. Gehry's new world headquarters will occupy 60,000 square feet of space in two adjoining buildings that can accommodate all the firm's roughly 250 personnel.
"To have someone of Frank Gehry's stature headquartered here is a great coup for our city and fortifies El Segundo's growing reputation as a prime destination and center for design, the arts and creative media," stated El Segundo Mayor Kelly McDowell.
"Frank Gehry is truly a giant in the field of architecture and his works are world-renowned for their synthesis of architecture and art. We are proud to welcome him to our community."
Gehry's arrival continues a trend that has seen several prominent design, arts and media companies migrate to El Segundo in recent years. In 2007, advertising agencies Ignited Minds, LLC and David & Goliath moved to El Segundo, as did Internet media firm Tandberg Television.
"It's no accident these companies are choosing our city," added McDowell. "We provide a number of appealing amenities as an ideally situated coastal community not to mention a favorable tax base, prime and reasonably priced office space and unparalleled customer service."
Gehry is expected to move into the new space by the end of 2008 or early 2009.
About Frank Gehry
A Toronto native who moved to California at the age of 18, the Pritzker Prize winning architect burst onto the scene in 1972 with his innovative Easy Edges furniture designs that incorporated cardboard as a medium. Over his career, he has completed dozens of widely acclaimed high-profile buildings, many of which have become tourist attractions.
His best known works include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles; the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; Weisman Art House Museum in Minneapolis; Dancing House in Prague; Experience Music project in Seattle, and his 1978 residence in Santa Monica.
Gehry is currently working on more than 20 new designs, including the $2 billion Grand Avenue Project to revive Downtown Los Angeles and a new massive-scale Guggenheim art museum in the Persian Gulf.
About El Segundo
A coastal community situated just south of Los Angeles International Airport, El Segundo features quiet residential neighborhoods and a quaint, pedestrian-friendly downtown as well as a bustling eastside commercial district that caters to over 85,000 employees daily and boasts the highest paying jobs in the entire South Bay.
Known as the "Aerospace Capital of the World" due to the presence of Los Angeles Air Force Base and several of the world's largest defense firms, El Segundo is also home to more than a dozen Fortune 500 companies in a variety of key industries, ranging from information technology to entertainment.
As a testament to its commitment to business retention and recruitment, El Segundo won the first-ever Eddy Award presented to the County's "Most Business-Friendly City" in 2006.
For more information about El Segundo, please visit: www.themostbusinessfriendlycity.com