Frank Gehry's
Santa Monica Studio

Frank Gehry worked here. His office also designed alterations to the building. At 1520–1528 Cloverfield Boulevard, that history is part of a working creative-office property, alongside the brick, timber, daylight and long exterior gallery.

A studio full of art and work

In March 1976, L.A. Architect announced an evening with Frank Gehry and gallerist Nicholas Wilder at Gehry’s Cloverfield office and studio. The program included architectural work, invited artists and the office’s art collection. It is a glimpse of the creative life inside the warehouse, preserved in a contemporary publication.

Read the March 1976 AIA newsletter.

Brick first. Alteration later.

The original June 1965 permit describes a new two-story masonry warehouse and offices. It names James Mount as architect. The building’s Gehry connection came later: permit 59723, dated November 5, 1987, identifies Frank O. Gehry & Associates as architect and applicant for alterations to the existing building.

The gallery before the metal panels

The photographs matter as much as the dates. The exterior stairs and walkways appear in the earlier planning-file view; the 1987 permit alone does not date every visible element. Michael Folonis, who worked for Gehry and later renovated his own office here, describes the building’s conversion and the addition of independent second-floor access in his Cloverfield Office project account.

Materials, without the mythology

A Gehry office material board for the Cloverfield alteration shows brick, painted sheet metal, a translucent canopy panel and sand-blasted stainless-steel signage. Those distinctions give the project more texture than calling every surface stainless steel.

The Getty’s Summer 2017 magazine names 1520 Cloverfield Creative among projects represented in the Frank Gehry papers. The building belongs in the story of his practice on its own terms.

A documented architectural chapter

The 1976 newsletter places Gehry’s studio at 1524 Cloverfield. Nebraska’s official architect rosters also list him at 1520-B Cloverfield in 1988–89 and 1996–97. These records establish dated connections, rather than exact move-in or move-out dates.

Gehry received the 1989 Pritzker Architecture Prize during this period. The prize recognized his architectural work; it was not an award to this property.

A building still in use

Today, 1520 Cloverfield Creative offers office space with exposed materials, varied room layouts and a distinctive Westside address. A leasing tour is the way to compare the actual suite, daylight, access, parking and current canopy conditions with your team’s needs.

Questions about the building

Did Frank Gehry design the original warehouse?

The 1965 original-building permit names James Mount. Frank O. Gehry & Associates is named on the later 1987 alteration permit.

Can I visit the former studio?

This is a private working office property. Arrange a leasing tour; tenant interiors are not open for unannounced public visits.

What do the records establish about Gehry’s time here?

The March 1976 AIA newsletter identifies the office and studio at 1524 Cloverfield. Later official rosters list 1520-B. These are dated records, not a complete tenancy chronology.