What is it about architecture that celebrates longevity?

The world’s most famous architect, Frank Gehry, was actively at work until his death at age 96, finishing his Guggenheim Museum in Abu Dhabi and still designing the greatest works of his career. Masters Frank Lloyd Wright and Phillip Johnson also worked into their 90s and were even more prolific than Gehry.

In this special series, Century Lives introduces Victoria Newhouse, a renowned architectural historian. At age 87, Victoria chats with her contemporaries: the late Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaas, Moshe Safdie, Peter Eisenman, and Raj Rewal—all renowned architects and all in their 80s and 90s.

In episode 1 , Victoria Newhouse talks with Frank Gehry in one of the final interviews of his life. He died just a few months after this conversation, at the age of 96. Frank and Victoria had a friendship spanning more than 40 years, traveling the globe together to visit his buildings. Frank discusses his $1 billion Guggenheim Museum about to open in Abu Dhabi, and other pivotal moments in his extraordinary career.