LOS ANGELES (AP) — Groundbreaking architect Frank Gehry, who died Friday at age 96, was known for designing some of the most imaginative buildings ever constructed. Over the course of his career, he was awarded every major prize architecture has to offer — including the field’s top honor, the Pritzker Prize, for what has been described as “refreshingly original and totally American” work.
Here's a closer look at some of his renowned buildings.
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FILE - Early morning sun rays illuminate the Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank Gehry, in downtown Los Angeles, Nov. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)
FILE - 8 Spruce Street residential skyscraper is in the Financial District in lower Manhattan, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
FILE - The New World Symphony performs under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, during the grand opening ceremony of the New World Center, a facility designed by architect Frank Gehry, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
FILE - Curves and angles mix in this section of the new Guggenheim Museum designed by American architect Frank Gehry, in Bilbao, Spain, Sept. 24, 1997. (AP Photo/Javier Bauluz, File)
FILE - The Louis Vuitton Foundation art museum and cultural center, created by American architect Frank Gehry, is photographed during the inauguration of the Gehry latest creation in Paris, Monday, Oct. 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File)
The art museum, which opened in the Bois de Boulogne park along Paris’ western edge in 2014, describes Gehry’s design on its website as “a magnificent vessel for Paris.”
Gehry was inspired by late 19th-century glass and garden architecture, and the building “fits easily into the natural environment, between woods and garden, while at the same time playing with light and mirror effects,” the museum's website says.
“The choice of materials became self-evident: an envelope of glass would cover the body of the building, an assembly of blocks referred to as the ‘iceberg’, and would give it its volume and its vitality.”
The museum of modern and contemporary art, which opened in 1997 along the Nervion River, is one of Gehry’s most celebrated works. Made of titanium, limestone and glass, the building has become an iconic attraction and drew 1.3 million visitors last year, according to the museum’s website. The exterior features curves, and the museum’s website describes the atrium as “crowned with a metallic flower over its skylight.”
The concert hall, described on its website as an “architectural gem,” opened in 2011. Home to the New World Symphony, an orchestral academy, its atrium features “cascading geometric shapes, curved surfaces and a vaulted ceiling with six stories of natural light,” while the performance hall is known for its “technical capabilities and acoustic integrity,” its website says.
His long friendship with the symphony's co-founder and artistic director laureate, Michael Tilson Thomas, fueled his enthusiasm for the project, the center said Friday in a statement mourning Gehry's passing.
“When Frank Gehry first stepped into the completed New World Center, he told reporters he wept” as he watched rehearsals with Tilson Thomas, the statement said, because he knew it was special.
At 76 stories high, this was Gehry’s first skyscraper. The building opened in 2011 in Manhattan’s Financial District as a “striking masterpiece of architectural design where artful living meets practicality and purpose,” its website says, adding that it was the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere at the time of construction.
Located in the city's downtown and home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the building opened in 2003.
In a press release before the opening, the “glistening, curved exterior" was described as embodying “the energy, innovation, and creative spirit of the city of Los Angeles and its orchestra." The interior seeks to amplify concertgoers' experience of “the power and passion of music.”
“The outside of the building was designed to reflect the aesthetic of the inside, which in itself evolved according to the highest acoustical standards,” Gehry was quoted as saying in the press release.
FILE - Early morning sun rays illuminate the Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank Gehry, in downtown Los Angeles, Nov. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)
FILE - 8 Spruce Street residential skyscraper is in the Financial District in lower Manhattan, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
FILE - The New World Symphony performs under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, during the grand opening ceremony of the New World Center, a facility designed by architect Frank Gehry, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011, in Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
FILE - Curves and angles mix in this section of the new Guggenheim Museum designed by American architect Frank Gehry, in Bilbao, Spain, Sept. 24, 1997. (AP Photo/Javier Bauluz, File)
FILE - The Louis Vuitton Foundation art museum and cultural center, created by American architect Frank Gehry, is photographed during the inauguration of the Gehry latest creation in Paris, Monday, Oct. 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Target is investing another $2 billion in its business this year to spruce up and remodel stores among other projects as it tries to turn around a persistent sales malaise and reclaim its authority on style.
The investment, announced Tuesday at its annual investor meeting in at its headquarters in Minneapolis, comes as the discounter reported another quarter of declining sales and profits amid its struggles to regain its footing with customers who are going elsewhere for fashion, home and other needs.
Tuesday's report offered some hope for the business. The company delivered a solid annual profit outlook that was better than Wall Street had been projecting. It also said it believes net sales will grow every quarter this year.
Target said comparable-store sales rose to start the current quarter.
“This is a new chapter, and it's all about growth,” said CEO Michael Fiddelke, a 20-year company veteran who succeeded longtime CEO Brian Cornell last month.
Fiddelke and other executives detailed plans to turn around Target as investors have been hungry for a return to Target’s former dominance in affordable chic for which it earned it the nickname “Tarzhay” in years past.
Target said that its stores will get the biggest refresh this year than they have had in roughly a decade. The company will invest hundreds of millions of dollars for additional store labor and training. And it plans to open 30 new stores and aims to remodel 130 of its existing stores.
In particular, Target is launching a new beauty area called Target Beauty Studio in 600 stores this fall, which will offer upscale beauty products and beauty services. The new area will partly replace its shops with Ulta, which is ending its partnership in August, the company said.
Fiddelke takes over with Target’s hometown of Minneapolis a front line of sorts in President Donald Trump’s campaign to curb illegal immigration. Some of the company’s stores have become a flashpoint in a pushback against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The company has faced pressure to take a public stand against the immigration crackdown.
Even before the immigration clashes, Target had been facing protests and boycotts over the company’s decision to roll back its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Critics believe it's a betrayal of Target’s philanthropic commitment to fighting racial disparities and promoting progressive values in liberal Minneapolis and beyond.
That is outside of a volatile economic and political environment that has been intensified by an aggressive trade campaign under Trump. The White House is now seeking a global tariff of 15%, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many of the far-reaching taxes on imports that he had imposed over the last year.
While the pace of inflation has cooled, consumer prices have soared about 25% over the past five years. U.S. companies are facing a hazy outlook with American households hurting, and the Trump administration is trying to work around the Supreme Court ruling to keep his duties in place.
And Target customers have soured on what they see as untended and messy stores with lackluster merchandise.
As the company’s nearly 2,000 store locations have become shipping hubs for online operations, customers say the in-store shopping experience has suffered with staff fulfilling digital orders rather than tending to store aisles.
Target is also facing stiffer competition from Walmart, which has stepped up its focus on fashion and other goods. As many Americans trade down because of inflation, Walmart has gained market share, particularly among households with annual income above $100,000.
Fiddelke has already reshuffled the leadership team at Target, boosted spending on in-store store staffing and made cuts at distribution facilities and regional offices, according to a memo sent to employees in February.
Target said it's focusing merchandise category by category and infusing its assortment with new differentiated items to set itself from its competitors. For example, in the home area, 75% of the company's home decorative assortment will be new.
The company is also reworking its store label brands such as its home goods brand called Threshold. It announced a merchandise collaboration with Roller Rabbit, a brand known for its 1960s-inspired silhouettes and colorful playful prints. The collection of clothing, pajamas and accessories is expected to make its debut at Target this month for a limited time.
The company said it's adding more fashion drops this year and using an artificial intelligence tool to better spot trends. In some examples, it's cutting the time frame from a design concept to store shelves to a matter of weeks from over a year, according to Cara Sylvester, Target’s chief merchandising officer.
And in food, the company is hoping to drive more trips by expanding its fresh produce while also offering innovative items. This year, it plans to increase the amount of newness across the assortment by nearly 50%, it said.
The company earned $2.30 per share, or $1.05 billion, for the three-month period ended Jan. 31. That compares with $2.41 per share, or $1.10 billion, during the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings per share for the most recent quarter was $2.44.
Sales fell 1.5% to $30.45 billion during the latest period. For the full year, sales fell nearly 2% to $104.78 billion.
Analysts were expecting $2.16 per share on sales of $30.46 billion, according to a survey by FactSet.
Comparable sales — sales at established stores and online channels — fell 2.5%, followed by a 2.7% dip in the fiscal third quarter. The latest figure marks 11 quarters out of the past 13 that Target has posted either declines or flattish growth for this measure.
Tuesday’s report offered some hopeful signs for the business. Target said that sales and customer traffic accelerated in the final two months of the quarter. And it saw sales growth in food and beverage, beauty and toys for the latest quarter.
Target said that it expects net sales for the year to increase by 2%, which would mean it expects sales to reach $106.88 billion. That’s a bit above analysts’ expectations of $106.7 billion. Target also anticipates earnings per share to be in the range of $7.50 to $8.50. Analysts are expecting $7.30 per share for the year, according to analysts polled by FactSet.
Products sit on display at a Target store, Monday, March 2, 2026, in Edina, Minn. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)
Products sit on display at a Target store, Monday, March 2, 2026, in Edina, Minn. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)
FILE - The Target logo displayed on a sign outside a store, Nov. 18, 2025, in Salem, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
Products sit on display at a Target store, Monday, March 2, 2026, in Edina, Minn. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)
