A decade after Frank Gehry was first selected to design the embattled World Trade Center Performing Arts Center, he's officially, undeniably, and irrevocably been fired from the project. The arts centers board told the Times that his tiered design of boxes upon boxes, topped by trees, is no longer in the running. This ouster shouldn't be a surprise in the slightest, given all the drama around the project, and that Gehry's role had been publicly questioned as recently as this year. Gehry said he has heard nothing of his design's demise but that "It's fine... I don't want to go where I'm not wanted." Meanwhile, the board says they are considering three architecture firms to design the center, but would not disclose which ones.
Fundraising efforts for the performing arts center, which will cost about $400 million, have largely stalled. But with new board members being announced soon and a new architect on the horizon, plus new artistic leadership on the center's staff, perhaps the arts center will move forward with renewed vigor soon.
· Arts Center at Ground Zero Shelves Gehry Design [NYT]
· Things Are Not Looking Good For The WTC Arts Center [Curbed]
· WTC Arts Center Shifts Direction, Gehry's Role Questioned [Curbed]
· All World Trade Center Performing Arts Center coverage [Curbed]
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