5. Two Buildings Near David Zwirner Gallery are Reportedly the Result of an Architect’s Feud
There are two glass buildings facing each other near David Zwirner Gallery on 20th Street. The first, using a continuous curved glass pattern, was designed by Frank Gehry, a noted architect whose works appear around the world. The other, using a mosaic glass pattern, was designed by Jean Nouvel, a French architect. The rumor surrounding the two buildings is that Nouvel, who shared a contentious and often ugly rivalry with Gehry, built his mosaic pattern building directly opposite Gehry’s building so that any photograph taken of Gehry’s design would feature Nouvel’s building in its reflection, regardless of the angle. To add insult to injury, Nouvel’s building is built in such away that it does not reflect Gehry’s building. Sure enough, any photographs of the Gehry building, now the headquarters of the internet company InterActiveCorp, have the reflection of Nouvel’s building, now a residential tower, edited out.