MIT Libraries homeDome

Frontal view, depicting the garage entry, from the west; The surprising facade makes this one of Gehry's most recognizable commissions. Approaching the building on Main Street, one is confronted by a succession of three elements that essentially function as a billboard for the advertising agency. Its literal centerpiece is the monumental pair of binoculars-developed in collaboration with artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen-which functions as an entrance for cars and pedestrians and contains conference spaces within. This playful component is positioned between the hull-shaped building on the north and a facade of copper-covered rectangular columns and diagonal beams, which has been likened to a group of trees, on the south. [Chiat/Day are no longer the tenants.] Source: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation [website]; http://www.guggenheim.org (accessed 12/29/2007)