The people behind the placeArchitecture. Vision. Belonging.
Great minds.
A place to belong.
Frank Gehry’s expressive architecture. James Rouse’s vision of community. Two remarkable legacies, woven into everyday life at Harper House.
Canadian-born Frank Gehry expanded the boundaries of design, combining practicality with sculptural art and unexpected everyday materials. He graduated from USC in 1954, established his Los Angeles practice in 1962, and earned the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989 for his originality and creative experimentation.
The Village of Cross Keys credits Gehry with Harper House’s 1975 design—an intimate residential chapter before the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (1997) and Walt Disney Concert Hall (2003). Staggered brick wings, deep balcony shadows, a projecting roofline, and an inviting courtyard pergola bring his expressive architecture into everyday life.
Explore Gehry’s work & sources
James Rouse brought his experience in mortgage finance and shopping-center development to a bigger idea: communities that improve people’s lives. Opened in 1965 on former Baltimore Country Club land, Cross Keys was his first mixed-use project and a prototype for Columbia, Maryland (1967). Homes, offices, recreation, and a village center made daily life part of a connected neighborhood.
Rouse also helped revitalize Boston’s Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Baltimore’s Harborplace. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 for his urban legacy and work against segregation. In 1982, he and his wife Patty founded Enterprise, inspired by D.C.’s Jubilee Housing, to advance affordable housing—a lasting commitment to a decent place to live for everyone.
Explore Rouse’s legacy & sources
Their paths also crossed in Gehry’s early commissions for The Rouse Company in Columbia. Explore their Maryland connection ↗