Thirteen years ago on Oct. 24, 2003, Frank Gehry's exhilarating stainless steel Walt Disney Concert Hall opened on Bunker Hill and took Los Angeles architecture to another stratosphere, becoming an instant L.A. icon in the process. Gehry, now 87, became the undisputed godfather of L.A. design among peers and proteges that include Ray Kappe, 89, Eric Owen Moss, 73, and Thom Mayne, 72. Their daring — Kappe's innovative homes, the futuristic facades of Moss' Hayden Tract in Culver City, Mayne's monumental Caltrans building — has helped L.A. shift to a world-class cultural mecca, from the newly replete arts district to the L.A. River's renewal (with Gehry's input). But these changes also raise questions about what form new developments will take. These post-Gehry architects are the ones most likely to make an impact on L.A. as it expands and evolves.
