Inspiring Vision: Bilbao Guggenheim Museum

"Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness." – Frank Gehry

If you have ever been to the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, you have seen this magnificent museum's power and scale. It is truly one of Frank Gehry's most notable creations. However, one of the things most people don't know is the story of the impact that this one building had on the city of Bilbao, Spain. When the museum opened in 1997, critics hailed Frank Gehry's masterpiece as one of the architectural wonders of the past century. The government projected about 500,000 people a year to make the trek to Bilbao to visit the museum. In the first three years alone, 4 million people came. The term "Bilbao effect" was coined in urban planning and economic development to describe architecture so spectacular it could transform neighborhoods, cities, and regions.

When you think about that kind of transformation, you can see that a powerful idea, well executed, can have a timeless impact! So what ideas are you holding on to that might have a "Bilbao effect?" Don't hold back the world needs your ideas!