Peter B. Lewis Building
10900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland
Ohio 44106-7235
USA
Frank O. Gehry, Gehry Partners,
LLP 1999-2002
Named after Peter B. Lewis,
chief executive and president of Progressive Insurance, Frank Gehry's
building in the Case Western Reserve campus is a $62 million building (of
which Mr. Lewis gave $37 million) with 152,000 square feet of space. Peter
B. Lewis and Frank Gehry have had a long professional and personal career
dating back to Lewis' commissioning Gehry to design his home, which was
never built. The long design process for the unbuilt home is credited with
having helped many of the design advances that would lead to Gehry's
design of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Like in Bilbao, here Gehry
makes use of the undulating forms that have now become his signature.
For Lewis and the school,
Gehry's curves and shapes signify the manner in which management and
business is taught at Case Western. Entering the building through a small
door that is almost dwarfed by the large shapes above, one enters into
cleanly designed interior spaces, which are somewhat reminiscent of Le
Corbusier's use of curves in his later years. Perhaps the most successful
aspect of the building's interior is the manner in which light shifts and
changes hue as it bounces from high white walls. At certain times of the
day, one could certainly believe that interior spaces are painted in
colors other than white due to the changing hues on the higher parts of
the walls. Artificial lighting is primarily brought about by simple
fluorescent tubes which hang high up on walls, in a manner very much like
the work of Dan Flavin. In this way, the interior of the building puts on
a show that must be appreciated over time, as light shifts through the
day.
Other noteworthy features of the
interior are the air-conditioning/heating vents, thin slits in the plaster
walls that mimic the angles and repetitious nature of fluorescent bulbs
arranged on the undulating walls. These too have a slight Le Corbusier
feeling to them, appearing much like the thin slits allowing light into Ronchamp.
Sitting in the main atrium space is a large sculptural form, which serves
as a skylight for a classroom underneath. Viewing it from high up, the
oversized skylight appears to be a pushpin holding the lively building in
place.
While interior spaces are
cleanly designed and in certain cases almost austere, the richness of
materials used and the prominent use of wood warm up the space, which is
probably further energized during class hours since some spaces are tight
and force students to interact and acknowledge one another. Classrooms are
bright, ample and laid out in a functional manner. Perhaps the only
objectionable aspect of the building is the clumsy "Peter B. Lewis
Building" sign that hangs near the entrance. Attached in a manner
that makes it look as though it had been an afterthought, and set in
Impact, the sign breaks the flow of curves that would otherwise nicely
interact with windows underneath. Donating $37 million dollars, however,
buys you the ability to do as you wish with your name.
K. Bellon 2003 (updated 2004)
How to visit
The Peter B. Lewis Building is
located within the Case Western Reserve campus in Cleveland's University
Circle. Though its mail address says it is located on Euclid Avenue, the
building is actually located just off Euclid on the intersection of Ford
Drive and Bellflower Road. Also of interest is the sculpture garden that
sits behind the building, on Bellflower Road. It was designed by Philip
Johnson and includes his sculpture "Turning Point".
Street parking is available
(metered and unmetered).
Half-hour tours
of the building are normally available (which allow visitors to see
classrooms that are normally closed to the public) Saturdays and Sundays
between 1pm and 3.30pm. For more information please visit www.weatherhead.cwru.edu/tour/
or call +1 216 368 2030.
Books and other web
sites
Click the book title to view and to order direct
from
Frank
O. Gehry: The Complete Works
Francesco Dal Co, Kurt
Forster (Contributor), Hadley Soutter Arnold, Francesco Dal Co, Frank O.
Gehry