While working in Prague this past summer, I met Vladimir Milunic, the Czech architect who collaborated with Gehry on one of his latest projects, an office building for the Dutch insurance company, National Nederlanden, to be completed in December 1995. People see Gehry's work as a sort of alien invasion. In spite of his effort to weave his design into this elegant city's architectural fabric, Gehry manifests the vogue of transient southern Californian attitudes that seem out of place in timeless Prague. Prague is a living museum that celebrates the architectural innovations of its past. It boasts a rich collection of styles, including, Medieval, Baroque and Functionalist.
Tourists flock to the city to experience the enchantment of well-preserved history.
Architecture has also given many Czechs a sense of stability in the face of great social, political and economic change. The majority of architectural projects in the center of Prague today are historic preservations and renovations, rather than new buildings. The exceptions to this receive much negative attention from tourists as well as older and more conservative Czechs, even when the architect is Czech. Conspicuously located in the heart of Prague on the Vltava River, Gehry's undulating facade, in full view of the Charles bridge and Prague castle, is the current focus of public scorn. Defenders see Gehry's collaboration as a kind of peaceful reparation.