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Forest City Ratner attorney claims Gehry as a Brooklyn native

It's a not-terribly relevant exaggeration, a sign perhaps of carelessness or litigation overkill, but Frank Gehry, the Toronto-born architect who said he was inspired by a Brooklyn bride, is apparently a Brooklynite, at least according to a Forest City Ratner attorney.

From FCR attorney Jeffrey Braun's 1/25/08 affirmation in the pre-appeal papers in the case challenging the Atlantic Yards environmental review:
The project is being designed by Frank Gehry, a California-based Brooklyn native who is one of the preeminent American architects of our era.
(Emphasis added; click on graphics to enlarge)

Affidavits from Forest City Ratner officials have been less ambitious. Former FCR executive Jim Stuckey's 4/16/07 affidavit and his successor Maryanne Gilmartin's 1/17/08 affidavit read similarly, both calling Gehry one of the preeminent American architects of our time.

From Toronto to L.A.

Is Gehry a Brooklynite? From a Guggenheim Museum bio, surely vetted by the architect:
Born February 28, 1929, in Toronto, Frank Owen Gehry is one of the most inventive and pioneering architects working today. Based in Los Angeles—where he relocated with his family in 1947—he has developed a unique vocabulary that reflects both the urban vernacular and his long association with contemporary artists.


A William Morris Agency bio is similar. The Pritzker Prize bio points to Toronto. An American Masters career timeline (right) also points to Toronto. Wikipedia reminds us that he was born Ephraim Owen Goldberg.

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