“New York by Gehry”

NYC Architecture and Real Estate Leaders Celebrate Author Paul Goldberger's Frank Gehry Biography at Acclaimed Manhattan Skyscraper "New York by Gehry"

8 Spruce Street developer Forest City Ratner CEO MaryAnne Gilmartin Hosts Fete for Goldberger's "Building Art: The Life and Work of Frank Gehry"

New York, NY—Thursday, October 22, 2015—Frank Gehry's first skyscraper—Lower Manhattan's 76-story, 899-unit New York by Gehry, with its undulating stainless steel curtain wall inspired by 17th Century Italian sculpture—was an instant icon, transforming the skyline and garnering accolades from architecture and design aficionados worldwide.

As epic as the building's story has been, it is just one of the many achievements in the long and prolific artistic life of its designer. The building's developers, Forest City Ratner Companies' (FCRC) President & CEO MaryAnne Gilmartin and Executive Chairman Bruce Ratner, on Wednesday evening honored Gehry's achievements by hosting a soiree in celebration of the author and esteemed critic Paul Goldberger's sweeping new biography, Building Art: The Life and Work of Frank Gehry.

"It's great to be celebrating this book here in Frank's first skyscraper, a building that plays a large role in the story," said critic, educator and Building Art author Paul Goldberger. "It meant a lot to New York for Frank Gehry to design this building and for Bruce Ratner and Mary Ann Gilmartin to build it. And it means a lot to me to be launching this book here."

"New York by Gehry is Frank Gehry's "love letter to New York," said FCRC President & CEO MaryAnne Gilmartin, "And what a thrill it has been to work with him on such an iconic project. Bruce and I were fortunate enough to get an intimate glimpse of Frank's process during the creation of this tower—and now with this book Paul Goldberger gives all of us a deeper understanding of the lifelong evolution of this great artist."

Attending this invitation-only event were celebrated architects, including Thom Mayne, Annabelle Selldorf, Cesar Pelli, Hugh Hardy, Alex Cooper, Paul Segal and Francois de Menil; leading voices in architectural criticism and journalism such as Nicolai Ourossoff, Michael Sorkin, and Suzanne Stephens; and prominent figures like Juilliard School dean Ara Guzelimian, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Harold Varmus, former NYC Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, CBRE's Mary Anne Tighe, and literary agent Arthur Klebanoff.

FCRC Executive Chairman Bruce Ratner added, "Paul is an architect of ideas. He too 'builds art'—with his words and opinions on important issues related to architecture, design and modern urban life. People want to know what shaped a genius like Frank Gehry, and in 'Building Art,' Paul captures the essential elements of that journey."

Paul Goldberger is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. From 1997 to 2011 he served as the architecture critic for The New Yorker and was formerly Dean of the Parsons School of Design. He began his career at The New York Times, where he received a Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism. Goldberger is the author of several books, including Why Architecture Matters, Building Up and Tearing Down: Reflections on the Age of Architecture, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude. He lectures widely around the country on architecture, design, historic preservation, and cities. His writing has received numerous awards including the President's Medal of the Municipal Art Society of New York, the medal of the American Institute of Architects, and the Medal of Honor of the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation for what the Foundation called "the nation's most balanced, penetrating and poetic analyses of architecture and design." In 2015, he will be honored by the Society of Architectural Historians for his achievements in architectural journalism.

About New York by Gehry at Eight Spruce Street
The first skyscraper designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry—the 76-story high-rise is one of the tallest residential buildings in the City and the nation—offers dramatic living spaces, luxury amenities and panoramic views from its 899 residences. This design-forward 870-foot-high residential tower with sculpted stainless steel folds, akin to draped fabric, was inspired by the classical draping of 17th Century Italian sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini, and has played a key role in redefining the skyline of Lower Manhattan. It is a shining symbol of the transformation of the Financial District into a 24-7, live-work neighborhood.